“We left at 6.45am from Chalong circle.
I can’t really remember the accident
because I was sleeping, but I do know that
the driver was driving very fast. When
I woke I couldn’t breathe, and I kept
slipping in and out of consciousness...”
FULL STORY ON PAGE 8

unday is D-Day for
Phuket’s two finalists
in the Thailand’s Got
Talent competition, when they
go head to head at 5.45pm, live
on national television.
Singing sensation Warunee ‘Gig’ Suwannurak and
performance artist Romadon
Suriyan will be among the 12
finalists competing for the
competition’s grand prize of a
contract with recording label
Sony, plus B5 million in cash,
a condo and a car.
Gig will sing her audition
song What’s Up by the 4 Non
Blondes on Sunday, while Romadon says his performance
concept will stem from an
Islamic belief that man comes
from the ground, but he will
extend it to be inclusive of
all the Kingdom’s residents.
“It will be about coming
from the ground. Although
Thai people think differently,
we are all the same and we all

thephuketnews.com

Romadon Suriyan.

Warunee ‘Gig’ Suwannurak.

come from the ground and
return to the earth, return to
nature,” he said.
“My wife and baby boy
will be in the audience to
watch, it will be good that
they are there. I don’t think
I could do it without them.”
Gig said she was “very

excited” about the upcoming final.
“I’m not sure I will win.
Everyone in the competition is
so good and there is so much
talent, but I will do my best.
Thank you for everyone who
has supported me and voted
for me so far – please vote for

me again on Sunday.”
She met Romadon for the
first time yesterday while the
pair were in Bangkok doing
promotion work.
“I like him very much, I
think he’s fantastic. I really
liked his performance – about
Thailand fighting and how we
just need everyone to love
each other. I agree with that,
it’s from the heart.”
She said there was no
competition rivalry between
the two – they were on very
friendly terms, and she said
it was great two Phuketians
were in the final representing
the province.
The final will be screened
on Channel 3 on Sunday at
5.45pm. The competition winner will be decided by SMS
vote. Romadon’s voting code
is TGT 10, while Gig’s is TGT
08. Voters need to SMS the
code to the number 4848999
during the programme.

Plenty of teeth: Siamotyrannus isanensis

Dinosaurs in Phuket!
FOSSIL DINOSAUR SKELEtons discovered in Thailand
have been brought from the
Sirindhorn Museum in Kalasin
Province, to be exhibited at
the Phuket Aquarium until
September 16.
The skeletons, estimated
to be 250 million years old,
include a herbivorous dinosaur
Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae, 20 metres in length
and five metres in height and

found in 1882, plus one of the
oldest herbivorous dinosaurs,
Isanosarus Attavipatchi, found
in 1998.
The star of the show,
however, is the skeleton of
130-million-year-old carnivore,
Siamotyrannus isanensis,
similar to T-rex, found in 1993.
Also displayed at the exhibition are replicas of dinosaur
eggs and footprints.
The exhibition is free.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

PHUKET NEWS

3

41 rescued from sinking tour boat
ALL 41 PEOPLE RESCUED
from a sinking speedboat, the
Luk Pradu 26, were safely
delivered to Chalong Pier
late on Monday afternoon
(August 27).
Seven were taken to hospitals in Phuket, reportedly
with head or arm injuries,
though none were said to be
in a serious condition.
The boat, carrying 37 tourists, three boat crew and a
guide, left Phuket with two
other boats from the same tour
company on Monday morning.
After some time at Phi Phi,
with the weather deteriorating,
the captains of the three boats
decided to cut short the tour

and take all the tourists back
to Phuket.
The 13-metre Luk Pradu
26 was following the other
two boats when it was hit by
a large wave that damaged the
bow of the boat. Water began
to pour in.
“The sea was very rough
today,” British tourist Samantha
Chappell, 22, told The Phuket
News. “After the water filled the
boat, it began to sink quickly.
I was very scared.
“Petrol leaked from the boat
and burned my skin.
“We were floating in our
life jackets for about an hour
before we were rescued.”
The tourists on board the

boat were a mix of nationalities – Malaysians, Indonesians,
Australians, New Zealanders
and Britons.
Pongsak Pachantabut, the
manager of Phuket New Generation Travel, which organised the one-day tour from
Phuket to Phi Phi, said the
company would pay for the
cost of medical treatment for
all those hurt in the sinking,
along with compensation for
“mental stress”.
Phuket Marine Police confirmed that an alert had been
issued that day, warning people
to be beware of heavy seas, but
the warning did not prohibit
boats from sailing.

Cold and wet, but happy to be on dry land again: three of the rescued tourists.

o Kwon Ping, ultimate boss of Laguna
Phuket, revealed last
Friday night (August 24) that
the next project in the complex
will be an attempt to create a
new local residential community, consisting of condominiums, shops and a water park.
Mr Ho revealed the new
concept at a dinner to celebrate
the founding of what is now
the Banyan Tree group, 25
years ago.
If built, the new community would have hundreds of
condominiums priced at B3
million upwards, along with
space for as many as 1,000
shops and restaurants and
water park.
At the dinner Mr Ho referred to the new development
as “Laguna City”, but admitted in an interview with The
Phuket News that a name had
yet to be set in stone.
“I haven’t really decided,” he said with a smile. “I
should be blamed. Being an
ex-journalist I should be more
careful. But you know, after a
few glasses of I wine I can be
forgiven.
“I think the main thing is
that I associate the word ‘city’
with is a permanent residential
community, as opposed to
a resort, which is transient
guests and a permanent working population – but the two
never meet.
“To my mind that’s not
a real community. We could
call it Laguna Community,
but that’s not very sexy. But
essentially that’s what we want
to do – a larger residential
community that can underpin
other things, for example a

retail mall. A retail mall for
just tourists is not sustainable.
“We have ambitious plans
to do a strong retail mall and
we are talking to people. It
wouldn’t be a Tesco or a Central but it could be something
more than a Turtle Cove, which
is just for tourists.
“You look at Surin Plaza,
you look at Boat Lagoon, there
are lots of bits and pieces of retail and the question that we’ve
asked is, ‘If we did something
more, would it work?’”
One answer, he said, was
that if Banyan Tree were to
serve the larger north Phuket
community “you’d better also
service your own community”.
“Right now, although we’ve
done quite a bit in terms of
Laguna Homes and Residences,
they’re all bungalows and
they’re not really a community.”
The prices of the initial
condos would be, “off the top
of my head”, B3 to 6 million
for a 40-square-metre unit.
He believes the project
would be an instant hit. “If you
look at all the other guys who
are currently [building], or may
in the future do projects [with
small-size units], I honestly
believe we have the best sites.
“We are doing it at the
lagoon [between what is now
the Laguna Beach Resort,
soon to be the Outrigger, and
the Dusit Laguna Resort]. We
have a piece of land next to
the Dusit that we did not sell,
at the very beachfront, which
we are going to develop as a
beach club.
“So even when you’re in
the back [away from the sea],
once we have the water park
up and the lagoon with all its
activities, it’s almost like being
beachfront. Who else can do
that in Phuket?”

This CG image shows the area currently occupied by Canal Village, on the left, and the
Laguna corporate offices, as it may look when the ‘city’ becomes a reality.

Two more
fire victims
identified
THE SUPERINTENDENT
of Kathu Police Station, Pol
Col Chiraphat Pochanaphan,
has confirmed that two more
bodies have been identified
following the Tiger Disco blaze.
Using DNA from their parents, the two were identified as
Nipapak Sudtasorn, 36, and Du­
ang­porn Bhutkroa, 32, who were
reported missing after the fire.
On August 21, the body of
British tourist Michael Tzouvanni, 24, was identified using
dental records.
Col Chiraphat said identification of the fourth and last
body, believed to be that of a
Frenchman, was expected to
take more time. Experts are
waiting for dental records and
relatives’ DNA samples.

Seven passenger seating. Comfortably designed for
a sense of elegant luxury, with meticulous detail.

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for second and third row seats; feeling of roominess; ease of driving.

The third-rows seats are foldable for
improved space and seating comfort.

The new Step WGN is easier to get in and
out of than ever before, with a wider
sliding-door to complement the low-floor
design, which allows passengers to enter the
second-row seating area with a single step.

DANE HALPIN
Sub Editor
editor2@thephuketnews.com
From Australia; Degree in Journalism, Charles
Sturt University. Four years’ experience at: The
Australian, The Central Western Daily, The Leader,
The Canberra Times, and The Vientiane Times.

CLAIRE CONNELL
Sub Editor
editor1@thephuketnews.com
From New Zealand; BA (English) from University of Otago; Diploma in Journalism from the
University of Canterbury. Five years’ experience
at Gisborne Herald and Marlborough Express.

JODY HOUTON
Sub Editor
editor3@thephuketnews.com
From the UK; Masters Degree in Journalism,
Kingston University. Five years’ experience at
Groove Magazine, Metropolis, The Western
Telegraph, The Mirror and Phuket Post.

An official surveys the grounds of the large villa. A complaint of encroachment has now been made against the owner.

SACRÉ BLEU!

Frenchman’s villa targeted for encroachment

A

huge villa where
super model Kate
Moss reportedly once
stayed is being investigated on
suspicion that it encroaches on
the Sirinart Marine National
Park.
It has been added to the list
of places being investigated by
the Department of National
Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), bringing the
number of properties under
investigation to 11.
On orders f rom DNP
Director Damrong Pidetch,
officials on Sunday (August
26) visited the property, just
to the south of Trisara, which
consists of a luxury residence
with swimming pool and tennis court.
The house is owned by
Frenchman Bernard Gaultier,
who is also an investor in The
Pavilions resort, in the hills
overlooking Layan Beach. Ms
Moss once reportedly stayed at
the villa after paparazzi staked
out the entrance of Trisara.
A complaint was laid this
week against Mr Gaultier with
Tha Chat Chai Police, alleging
encroachment.
Sermyod Sommun, the
Director of Conservation Operation Region 16 (Chiang
Mai), whose team is responsible for the investigation into
Trisara, said the property was
discovered during the Trisara
investigation.
The residence sits on a
piece of land with a NorSor3
paper issued in 1984 – three
years after the declaration of the
Sirinart Marine National Park.
“We found the NorSor3 has
no precursor papers [normally
a NorSor 3 would be issued
only on the basis of a previous
SorKor1 occupation paper].
“Instead, the land paper was
issued based on a survey by an

The pier: Officials believe it may have been built without
permission.
official, a method that cannot be
applied for any land inside the
boundaries of a national park,”
Mr Sermyod said. “This leads
us to believe that the NorSor3
may not be legal.”
In addition, there is a pier
jutting out from the property,
which officials suspect was
built without permission.
After their visit on Sunday,
DNP officials said they will
also bring charges against
bureaucrats involved in the
issue of the land paper.
The investigation will also
expand to the Thai owner
of the land, to see if he will
“acknowledge” that the land
paper was issued illegally.
As for the investigation into
Trisara, Mr Sermyod said the
DNP would first take action
over parts of the property that
extend beyond the boundaries shown in the land deeds.
These extensions are believed
to include swimming pools attached to several of the villas.
Currently, the investigation team is trying to come
to “a clear conclusion” as to
whether the land papers were
issued legally.
Mr Sermyod noted that
Tri­sara’s deeds were upgraded
from a 20-rai SorKor1. The
investigators find it suspicious
that the SorKor1 apparently
expanded in area to 200 rai
on the current land papers.

On Friday, speaking at an
Amcham seminar on hotels and
the environment, Trisara GM
Anthony Lark hit back against
the investigation.
He said that the environmental impact assessment
(EIA) for Trisara had been
particularly strict because
the resort was in a forest area.
“Now we are being attacked by the same people who
approved our EIA,” he said.
Criminal charges have
already been filed against La
Colline Villa Development
for its project in the hills overlooking Layan Beach, said the
adviser to the DNP’s Crime
Suppression Section, Sunthorn
Watcharakuldilok.
He said the company was
charged with encroaching into
a national park, with nine rai
of land extending beyond the
boundaries of the development
as they appear on the deed.
The teams investigating La
Colline, Mr Gaultier’s home
and the Pullman are looking
for evidence to support their
belief that each was built on
land with deeds based on “flying” SorKor1 papers.
(SorKor1 papers are notoriously vague. With the help of
bribes to officials, the paper for
one piece of land is “flown” to
establish possession of a more
attractive plot nearby.)
“We believe that the land

papers for most of these properties may have been issued by
the same group of officials, as
most of the deeds were issued
between 1977 and 1992,” said
Mr Sunthorn.
A fourth complaint was
filed this week against the
Peninsula Resort at the southern end of Naiyang Bay. The
complaint was filed by the new
chief of the park, Cheewapap
Cheewatham, and Ittisak Taewtiang, director of Resources
and Protection, Conservation
Sector 2 Management Office.
Mr Cheewapap arrived
from Mukdaharn Province last
week to replace the previous
chief, who was transferred out
on Mr Damrong’s orders after
just a month in the job.
The Peninsula complaint
charges that the resort encroaches on some nine rai
of national park land “worth
more than B1 billion”.
Mr Sunthorn noted that
firms or individuals who buy
and then build on properties
with titles to land in the park
“may not be aware they are
building on national park land.
But local people are”.
He explained that charges
were being preferred against
the owners only at this stage,
“because this type of case has
a time limit”. He said officials
involved in issuing improper
titles would be prosecuted in
the future “if evidence is clear
enough for prosecution”.
Mr Chaweepap said, “Investigation of the other seven
cases must proceed carefully
and follow every step of the
process, because they have
papers issued by the Land
Department.”
He added, “Apart from the
11 properties under investigation, we believe there are
several smaller pieces of land
[that encroach on the park].”

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

PHUKET NEWS

5

What’s
it
all
for?
Tourism firms slam huge hike in park fees

New road
from east
to west
confirmed

is shocking, especially when
they will not be able to pass the
hike on to their clients.
TTR Weekly quoted the
managing director of Nutty
Adventures and Ayutthaya
Boat and Travel, Nithi Subhongsang, as saying that the
announcement had come as a
shock and would have a “horrible impact on inbound tour
operators” because contracted
prices are signed for the entire
year and the ones for next year
are effective until October 2013.
“I cannot accept this and I
will file a complaint,” he said.
“It is ridiculous, a 150-per-cent
hike. How did they calculate it?
“Officials are never transparent, and there is no guarantee that the budget will be
used for what they say it will.”
Park fees were last raised
five years ago, also at short
notice, causing a storm among
mass operators. The DNP
had to back down and make
concessions. This time, director-general, Damrong “the
Demolisher” Phidech, said that
if there are complaints about
high price, the department
“might consider a revision.”

THE ROUTE FOR THE PROposed new road linking Patong
with Chalong was confirmed
last Friday (August 24) at a
public hearing at the Merlin
Hotel in Phuket Town.
The new 2.7-kilometre
road will go from the eastern
end of Hasip Pi Rd, Patong,
to Yothatikarn Rd (the road
to Luang Pu Supha temple),
near Amazing Bukit Safari in
Chalong, and from there will
join Chao Fa West Rd.
In a meeting in May this
option, put forward by a trio
of companies – Transconsult,
Phisut Technology and Panya
Consultant Co received the
greatest support because people
felt it was the most appropriate.
There is already a dirt road
along this route that is used by
local people, and people felt
that upgrading this would result
in less environmental damage
than cutting a new road.
Banpote Jaroensathayatam,
Executive Director of Transconsult, said that the new road
will serve the growth in tourists
and residents in Phuket, and
also act as an additional escape
route in case of disasters such
as the 2004 Asian Tsunami.

Alasdair Forbes
execeditor@thephuketnews.com

T

he Department of National Parks, Wildlife
and Plant Conservation
(DNP) has announced it is to
hike park entrance fees from
October 1 at 29 national parks
countrywide, including seven
in southern Thailand.
Close to Phuket, fees will go
up for entry into Khao Sok National Park; Than Bokkhorani
Marine National Park, Mu Ko
Lanta Marine National Park and
Haad Noppharat Thara-Phi Phi
National Park, all in Krabi, the
Similan and Surin Islands; and
Phang Nga Bay National Park.
TTR Weekly reported last
Friday (August 24) that fees to
visit most parks will rise from
B40 to B100 for Thais. In the
case of the Similan and Surin
Islands, the rise will be from
B80 to B100.
For foreigners, the rise will
be from B200 to B500, except
for the Similan and Surin Islands, Lanta and Haad Noppharat Thara-Phi Phi, which
will rise from B400 to B500.
Initial reaction from inbound tour operators and dive

Tour boat in the Similans. Operators complain that there is a complete lack of transparency in the way that park fees are used.
companies to the size of the rise
and the short notice has ranged
from resignation to anger.
Holger Schwab, owner of
Sea Bees Diving, told The
Phuket News, “At the moment,
our customers pay a B400
entrance fee plus an additional
B200 diving fee for every day
they visit and dive in one of
these parks.
“If you compare this price
with other national parks around
the world, it looks reasonable.
“But if you look closer and
compare what you get for your

money, it is way overcharged.”
He said that the current
fees are already “very hard to
justify” when customers see
no sign of any National Park
patrols and watch fishing boats
enter the park waters at will.
“In the Green Season,”
Mr Schab said, “the parks are
nearly unattended, leaving the
underwater world to dragnet
trawlers whose fresh marks we
sadly see every high season.”
He added, “I can’t see that
the additional increase of another B100 will change this

situation, but it will put us into
a even worse position when
our guests ask where all their
money is going.”
For dive companies the new
fees are not too hard to absorb;
liveaboard trips can cost tens
of thousands of baht a day, so
adding another B100-300 will
not cause problems.
But for mass tourist operations with fixed contracts
already signed for the coming
year – such as some of the sea
canoe companies taking tourists
into Phang Nga Bay – the rise

New drive to control taxis
THE PROVINCIAL LAND
Transport Office (PLTO) hosted
a meeting on Monday (August
27) as part of its repeated attempts to bring order to the
chaotic transport scene on
Phu­ket, by converting illegal
“black” taxis into legal “green”
taxis that can be controlled
through transport regulations.
Teerayut Prasertpol, chief
of the Phuket Land Transport
Office (PLTO) announced that
the office will accept applications for legalisation from black
taxi drivers until September 10.
So far, the owners of 3,590
black-plated taxis have shown
interest in registration.

Maan Samran, head of
Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (Orbortor) said, “All taxis should be
registered and I agree that
the local [black] taxis should
improve themselves. I don’t
think it will be a problem.”
One taxi driver agreed.
“It’s okay if they are ready to
register applications. Anyway,
it should be followed up.”
Mr Teerayut added, “I
think that after all these [registrations] have been done,
everything will be to the same
standard. Drivers will be controlled to charge regulation
fares (with fare tables in every

taxi), to dress properly, and to
have good manners. Taxis will
be safer to use and the image
of Phuket taxis will be clearer
and more correct.”
The PLTO has designated
regular fares for the route from
the airport to other parts of the
island. These are expected to be
announced by September 14.
The authorities’ haste to
fix the black taxi problem was
prompted by an order from
the Deputy Prime Minister
Chalerm Yubamrung, who
said illegal taxis who demand
high fare from tourists would
ruin a good image of Phuket’s
tourism.

ice-Governor Somkiat
Sangkhaosutthirak
said after a meeting
on “pigs for consumption” that
demand for pork by locals and
the growing number of tourists
has far outstripped current
supply and the supplies from
central Thailand will have to
be increased.
At the meeting on Saturday
(August 25) at Provincial Hall
were Phuket chief Livestock
officer Wirasit Pootipairoj,
civil service unit chiefs and
concerned members of the
private sector.
“Phuket covers a small
area, yet has a large popula­
tion, including many tour­
ists, and the result is that the
number of pigs raised here is
insufficient for demand,” Mr
Wirasit said.
He s a id t he nu mb e r
brought to Phuket monthly

Pongsook (Kwan)
Anurach
088 766 3353

salesnorth@thephuketnews.com

SALES SUPPORT
Siriporn (Nok)
Seangmas
086 479 7470

sales@thephuketnews.com

thephuketnews.com

from other provinces already
totalled “about 5,000 – or more
than half again the number
raised here”.
The number that can be

brought from other southern
provinces also falls short of
demand, he said, prompting
Saturday’s meeting on what
to do about the shortage.

‘Hungry Ghosts’ to be fed on Sunday
PHUKET’S OLD TOW N
streets will come alive on
Sunday morning (September
2) as Por Tor Festival celebra­
tions begin on Thalang Rd.
The Por Tor Festival (also
called the Hungry Ghost Festi­
val) runs from September 2 to
15. A “red turtle” parade will
be held on Sunday morning
from 10am, starting at the HM
Queen Sirikit 72nd birthday
park (the Dragon Park) on
Thalang Rd.
The parade will pass along
Thalang Rd, Yaowarat Rd,
Phang Nga Rd, Charter Bank
corner, Rassada Rd and arrive
at the Phuket Downtown Mar­
ket on Ranong Rd at around
12.20pm.
The following Sunday
(September 9) there will be
another parade starting at the

TESCO PRESENTS
SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Not enough: a pig in a Phuket farm.

Mr Wirasit said participants
discussed whether it was neces­
sary, and if so, possible to bring
pigs from central Thailand in
large numbers.
The consensus was that the
quota from central Thailand
must be increased – though
“with no impact on existing
local pig farmers, or at any rate
with the least impact possible”.
Supplies of pork from
farms on Phuket have dwindled
in recent years as property
developers and owners put
pressure on farmers to reduce
smell and pollution from their
farms.
Several farms have simply
closed down, and V/Gov Som­
kiat himself recently inspected
a farm near Baan Manik after
complaints about the smell
from people living in a new
housing development nearby.
– Source: Manager Online

Tesco Lotus Head of Public
Affairs Charkrit Direkwattanachai (centre) presented 250 house cleaning
packs, worth B125,000,
to help victims of last
week’s massive flooding
in Phuket Town. The packs
were accepted for further
distribution by Phuket Reporters Club President
Peerapong Ponpramoon
(2nd from left) and Phuket
Television Media Co Vice
President Aphisek Trisangsuwan (2nd from right).

Red turtle-shaped cakes are a central feature of the festival.
Saphan Hin Plaza (near the
Mining Monument) at 9am,
passing through Phuket Rd,
Kra Rd, Takuatung Rd and
finishing at the Bang Neow
shrine (also called the Por Tor

Kong Shrine) on Phuket Rd.
The global Chinese festival
is an important merit-making
event, where people offer
special food, such as the red
turtle cakes pictured, flowers

and candles to ancestors.
The offerings are also ex­
tended to the “hungry ghosts”
who have no living relatives
to “feed” them.
The most common offering
is a red turtle cake, known
locally as Aung-Gu. The red
colour symbolises good luck
for the Chinese, and the turtle
symbolises long life, good
health, good luck and prosper­
ity. The sweet cakes are made
from wheat and sugar and are
sometimes fried with egg.
Chanchai Duangjit, TAT
Phuket Office Director said
Phuket Provincial Governor’s
Office has chosen the Por
Tor festival to be one of the
main festivals to help promote
Phuket tourism, and for tour­
ists to find out more about
Phuket culture and traditions.

PM promises
province flood
compensation

The clean-up on Dibuk Rd.
PRIME MINISTER YING­
luck Shinawatra has promised
compensation for the damage
following last week’s floods
in Phuket Town and other
areas on Phuket.
Ms Yingluck reportedly
told the Bangkok Post the
government will provide
financial assistance based
on the actual damage to
economic zones, shops and
houses. She did not give the
rates of compensation.
A massive 163.5 mm of
rain fell on Phuket between
7am on August 21 and 7am
the following day, the Pro­
vincial Disaster Prevention
and Mitigation Office (DPM)
said, causing widespread
flooding across the island,
particularly in central Phuket
Town, Patong, and Cherng
Talay, and caused a section of
the Patong Hill to give way.
Ms Yingluck said she
had been updated about the
flood situation in Phuket and
local authorities had warned
of floods in the province two
days in advance, the Post
reported.

Minibus flips
on its way
to Haad Yai
A MINIBUS FROM THE
government-owned Transport
Co Ltd, bound from Phuket
to Haad Yai, slid off a curve
in rain near Phang Nga Town
on Sunday evening (August
26), landing on its side on the
central divider.
The driver, 43-year-old Wi­
wat Jakrach of Phattalung, was
slightly injured in the crash.
Fifteen passengers, too, had
to be pulled from the wreck
suffering mostly from leg and
arm injuries. They were taken
to Phang Nga Hospital. There
were no deaths, and no other
vehicles were involved.
– Source: Siang Tai

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

Villagers
protest over
noisy pub
RESIDENTS OF SRISOONthorn Moo 5 are fed up with
noise from a recently opened
live music pub about 150 metres north of the Heroines
Monument.
Village chief Chalermpol
Kerdtsap and other residents
presented a petition on Monday (August 27) at the Damrongtham Centre, complaining
about the noise from the pub
(named, with presumably unintentional irony, Relax) and
asking for action to turn down
the volume.
“The pub opened in our
community seven or eight
weeks ago, and since then
we have suffered from noise
pollution and blocked access
by parked cars the whole time.
It is also open after official
closing,” Mr Chalermpol said.
“We complained previously
to the Srisoonthorn municipal
office, and now we present a
petition to the Ombudsman
so that the governor may investigate whether [the pub] is
operating in accordance with
law,” Mr Chalermpol said.
The chief of the Ombudsman’s Office, Prapant Kanprasaeng received the petition
and said he would initiate an
investigation.
– Source: Manager Online

20-year-old Thai man
claimed on Monday
(August 27) that he
was beaten by five Thalang
police on August 22, in an attempt to force him to tell them
the location of a house from
which he had bought drugs.
Prapaporn Waharak was
charged with possession of
drugs for sale after police
found 2.47 grams of ya-ice
on him when he was searched
in Baan Ao Por with other
two men.
He told media that he was
in fact not a dealer; just a user,
but admitted the charge. After
that police should not have
beaten him up, he argued.
He believes he was beaten
because police wanted to get
the address of the person who
sold him the drugs.
“I didn’t contest the police
investigation [of my case].
Later I complied with the
officers and took them to the
house,” said Mr Prapaporn. “I
don’t see any reason why they
had to beat me up.”
He claimed that he was
blindfolded and handcuffed
before being beaten by five
officers in a police box in
Bang Rong.
He added that officers also

Prapaporn shows scars he said were caused by handcuffs.
put a plastic bag over his head
and used a stick to hit his body.
He took off his shirt and
showed The Phuket News
minor bruising on his wrists,
chest and lower back.
Mr Prapaporn decided to
report to the main Thalang
police station on the day after
his arrest to file a complaint
against the five officers.
He also visited the Dam-

rongtham Center with his
uncle on Monday, to make a
complaint about the incident
and urge the authorities to act
fast to investigate the incident.
“I’ll take the case in the
court. What happened to me
was not fair,” he said.
A police source said Mr
Prapaporn was one of a number of minor drug dealers
targeted by Thalang police.

A GROU P OF L O CA L
activists who want to see
Phuket declared a special zone
have set themselves a target of
two years to complete a draft
for a Phuket Self-Management
Act to be sent to Parliament,
backed by at least 10,000 supporting signatures.
The Act might include the
right of Phuket people to elect
their own governor and the right
of local authorities to use tax
collected from Phuket people for
the development of the island.
“We’ve been talking about
setting up a special zone for
Phuket for decades, but the
government will not respond if
Phuket people don’t push for it,”
said Phuket Self-Management
Network (PSMN) member
Tanu Nabnien.
The issue of Phuket being
given special status has been
raised many times in the past by
local activists, and the PSMN,
established early this year, aims
to build on those initiatives.
It has also been driven by
local frustration at seeing Phuket
increasingly exploited through
corruption.
“Phuket has been called an
international city. But in reality,
the island hasn’t yet reached
international standard, mainly

because of corruption. Corruption has terribly degraded our
home,” said Mr Tanu.
Much of the activists’ concern centres on corruption leading to the destruction of natural
resources for personal gain.
“Many people come here
and when they go, they leave
scars on the island and get away
with it,” Mr Tanu added. “We
would like to elect a person we
can trust who would lead our
home to sustainability.
“We would like the government to devolve power to the
people of Phuket, who would
have their own power to create
their own opportunities,” Mr
Tanu said.
One thing that rankles is
the amount of tax the island
contributes – Phuket is one of
top-ranked provinces in terms
of it contribution to state coffers
and there is widespread belief
that Phuket receives in return
from Bangkok only a dribble
– some B7 billion – to be used
for the good of the island.
Of that, according to last
year’s records, 71 per cent is
spent on the operation of the
Bangkok-controlled bureaucracy,
leaving only about B2 billion for
local elected bodies.

thephuketnews.com

8

PHUKET FOCUS

Bleak future
for visa-run
crash victim

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

Jody Houton
editor3@thephuketnews.com

A

lthough visa r u n
bus- crash victim
Alexandra ‘Sasha’
Monakhova has finally received funds for medical
expenses from the TVR visa
run company, and is well
on the road to recovery, the
nightmare of that hellish
journey is unlikely to end
any time soon.
Sa sh a h a s l ive d a nd
worked in hotels in Phuket
for the last two years, and the
August 9 visa run was not her
first. But she certainly hopes
it will be her last.
“We left at 6.45am from
Chalong circle. I can’t really remember the accident
because I was sleeping, but
I do know that the driver was
driving very fast.”
The impact of a collision hurtled Sasha from her
slumbers. “Somebody told
me the driver had crashed
into the side of another big
bus. When I woke I couldn’t
breathe, and I kept slipping
in and out of consciousness.
I didn’t know where I was...”.
The visa bus crashed
around 30 kilometres from
the district of Kuraburi. Sasha, along with a few other
passengers, was transported
to a local hospital. As Sasha’s
condition was deemed serious,
a Phuket International Hospital ambulance was dispatched
to pick her up.
“Unfortunately, when they
[PIH] found out we didn’t

Sasha was X-rayed as soon as she arrived at Vachira Hospital, where it was quickly deduced that she had suffered
a spinal fracture, but the operation was not forthcoming.

have any personal health
insurance they told us they
couldn’t treat us and I was
sent to Vachira Hospital instead,” Sasha recounts.
Although Sasha was Xrayed as soon as she arrived
at Vachira, and it was quickly
deduced that she had suffered a spinal fracture, the
treatment and the operation
that she needed was not immediately forthcoming.
“I was in hospital for four
days before I was treated.
They [hospital staff ] kept
telling me that they hadn’t
received any money from
TVR yet, so they couldn’t
do anything.”
On August 13, Sasha had

had enough and decided to
take action, “My friend contacted the Russian Embassy
and I think they applied pressure to the company to make
them pay up. It worked and
later that day, I finally had
the operation.”
The total cost of the operation was around B350,000 and
Sasha stayed at the hospital
until the 19th.
This was not her decision though. “I didn’t want
to go home because I knew
I couldn’t look after myself,
but I had to leave.”
TVR did pay a further
B5,000 baht for a Thai nurse
to visit Sasha’s small apartment in Chalong and to clean

and take care of her, but that
was just for the first few days.
Now Sasha is alone, she has
lost her job and is likely to
find it very difficult to find
other work in her present
condition.
“I don’t know what I will
do, but who is going to hire
me with this back brace on
and my eye looking like this?”
Meanwhile a TVR spokesman, who asked not to be
named told The Phuket News
that the driver of the visa run
bus is back driving on visa
runs again.
“Accidents can happen
anywhere,” he said, “You
can’t predict them. No one
wanted this to happen – ev-

eryone understands this. Our
company’s service is safe and
we have insurance.”
Although Sasha is quite
literally getting back on her
feet, she remembers the fear
she felt in those first few days
after the operation, “I had a
huge pain in my back and
couldn’t move my body at all,
I felt nauseous just to move.
“It was worse because I
didn’t know what had happened and if I’d ever recover.
Fortunately my Russian friend
Danier, who was a physician
in Russia, went to speak to
the doctor.”
Danier said, “Sasha found
it difficult to understand the
doctor, but because we are
Russians we can understand
each other well.”
Danier returned with Sasha to Vachira Hospital for a
routine check-up on August
28 and was pleased with the
feedback, “There was a slight
fracture to her lower spinal
bone but it’s not a big problem
and the blood vessels in her
eye will be back to normal
in around three weeks’ time.

45x90 |

She will be okay.
“She just needs to take
it easy for a while and do a
little bit of exercise and gradually ease herself in; perhaps
walking a little during the
first month or so and then
swimming in the next few
months, to gradually build up
her strength,” he said.
One positive that Sasha
has gained from this horrific
experience however is that she
has quit smoking, “I couldn’t
smoke in hospital and so I just
stopped. It’s good really,” she
said with a smile.
Another slight positive
is that Sasha doesn’t need to
worry about her visa status, at
least for now... “When I was
in the hospital, they stamped
my visa and I am okay until
September 12.”
After that date, however,
she is unsure as to what she’ll
do, but it probably won’t be
hopping on another visa run
bus any time soon, “I don’t
know, I hope the hospital may
get my visa stamped again.
If not, I don’t know what I
will do.”

ormer Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
on Monday (August 27)
faced fresh questioning by
investigators over a deadly military crackdown on opposition
protests in Bangkok in 2010.
Abhisit, now opposition
leader, was summoned to the
Justice Ministry’s Department
of Special Investigation (DSI)
along with his former deputy
Suthep Thaugsuban for several
hours of questioning about the
events, which left about 90 people dead and many wounded in
clashes between demonstrators
and armed troops.
“I told the truth and DSI
investigators don’t have any
further questions,” Abhisit told
reporters afterwards.
Observers believe the pair
– who were first questioned
by the police as witnesses in
December 2011 – could face
eventual prosecution.
More than 90 people, mostly civilians, were killed and
nearly 1,900 were wounded
during the April and May
2010 rallies, which drew about

Ex-PM Abhisit Vejjajiva is shown around a prison during his term as Prime Minister.
100,000 “Red Shirt” demonstrators at their peak.
Thailand now has a new
government allied to the Red
Shirts’ hero, fugitive former
leader Thaksin Shinawatra,
whose sister Yingluck is prime
minister.
Thaksin was toppled by
royalist generals in a 2006 coup
that unleashed years of street

protests by the pro-Thaksin
Red Shirts and the rival Yellow
Shirts, who claim allegiance
to the throne.
Abhisit’s gover nment
invoked emergency rule to
deal with the Red Shirt rallies
in early 2010, giving broad
powers to the military, which
deployed thousands of troops
in the capital.

New York-based Human
Rights Watch has accused the
army of using “excessive and
unnecessary lethal force” in
the crackdown.
Last week the rights watchdog said army chief Prayut
Chan-O-Cha was trying to
intimidate investigators probing the military’s role in the
deadly events.

A THAI MP HAS
gotten into hot water over
his controversial suggestion
for poor Thai women who
want an easy life: “find a
farang husband.”
Pheu Thai MP Sunai Julphongsathorn’s words caused
a barrage of complaints on
Thai web forums after a clip
of his comments surfaced
on YouTube recently.
The 12-minute video was
apparently shot on August
19 at a seminar at a school
in Samut Prakan.
Sunai tells the audience
of around 1,000 red shirts
to find a farang husband
for an easy life “because
European governments give
you everything for free.”
Sunai went on: “Get a
German husband. Get a
Swedish husband. Get a
Norwegian husband. People
used to love [Thailand]
unreservedly. But the more
they loved the country, the
poorer they got. The more
they loved the country, the
stupider they got.”
“All you need is a farang
husband and their government will pay you to study,”

he said. Even more controversially, he then implied
that the best way to study
a foreign language was by
sleeping with a foreigner.
“Sitting studying is too
slow. Lie down to study, then
go to the hospital. They will
pay you to have the baby…
It’s all free, right up to the
diapers.”
Many web users were
furious at Sunai’s comments.
They said they were highly
inappropriate coming from
an MP, particularly one in
the Pheu Thai Party whose
prime minister, Yingluck
Shinawatra, had become the
first woman to administer
the country.
Sunai later told reporters
that he had never meant to
insult Thai women. He just
wanted to show Thais how
far behind their welfare
state was when compared
with European countries.
He said he had been
saying such things for some
time and it was because he
wanted Thailand to have
a welfare system that was
the equal of those in other
countries, where education
and maternity services are
free.

Survey finds Thai women second
most unfaithful in the world

THAI WOMEN HAVE BEEN PIPPED TO
the post by women from Ghana, in ranking
for the world’s most unfaithful partners.
Durex carried out a survey of 29,000
women from 26 countries and found that 62
per cent of Ghanaian women admitted to having ‘extra-curricular’ relations. Thai women
came in at 59 per cent, while their Malaysian
counterparts trailed behind at 39 per cent.
Dr Tawee Tangseri, a deputy director of the
Mental Health Department told The Nation that
he doubted the validity of the results, “Thai
women [don’t] often cheat on their partners
because they adhere to tradition and preserve
their purity. Only a small proportion cheated
on their partners to have sex with other men.”
Another survey conducted by the same

Durex surveyed 29,000 women globally.
company found that men from Singapore
and Hong Kong were the most promiscuous,
averaging 16 sexual partners.

thephuketnews.com

10 ASIA NEWS
Death toll from
South Korea
typhoon at 15
Agence France-Presse

SOUTH KOREAN RESCUERS
Wednesday resumed a search
for 10 missing crewmen from
two Chinese fishing boats, as
the confirmed death toll from
a violent typhoon rose to 15.
Typhoon Bolaven – the
strongest to hit South Korea
for almost a decade – left a
trail of death and damage in
southwestern and south-central
regions of the country on
Tuesday (August 28).
It moved on to Nor th
Korea, where state media
repor ted damaged crops
and power cuts around the
western city of Haeju. Some
300 roadside trees along the
Pyongyang-Kaesong highway
were snapped, halting traffic.
The final damage toll was
expected to be greater, the official news agency said, after
strong winds and heavy rain
hit western regions.
Bolaven crossed the Yalu
River into China early on
Wednesday.
The storm drove two Chinese fishing ships aground
early Tuesday off the southern island of Jeju, sparking
a dramatic rescue operation.
Twelve people were pulled to
safety but five bodies were
found, and 10 remain missing.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

Home schooling preferred
over Chinese classrooms
Agence France-Presse

iving up his successful
career as the head of a
medical research firm
to spend his days at home reading from children’s story books
was a tough choice for Chinese
father Zhang Qiaofeng.
But Zhang, one of a small
but growing number of Chinese
parents who are turning their
backs on the country’s rigidly
exam-oriented state-run school
system, felt he had no choice.
“China’s education system
has special problems,” said
Zhang, a wiry-looking graduate of one of the country’s top
universities.
“I want my son to receive
a style of education which
is much more participative,
not just the teacher talking
while students listen. Most
of my son’s time is set aside
for following his interests, or
playing.”
From a small apartment on
the outskirts of Beijing, Zhang
teaches his son Hongwu for
four hours a day, in contrast
to the six hours of compulsory
classes the seven-year-old
used to sit through at primary

G

Zhang Qiaofeng with his son Hongwu.
school. In the living room
where he holds most of his
classes, Zhang rattles through a
long list of gripes with China’s
education system, from what
he calls its “obsession” with
exam results to an overly
authoritarian teaching style.
China has made impressive progress in rolling out
universal education across
the country, with urban areas
such as Shanghai claiming
a perfect school enrolment
rate. The United Nations says
China has a youth literacy
rate of 99 per cent. But many

Photo: AFP

parents complain about the
focus on rote learning and
passing exams, which means
that children spend long hours
in class.
Chinese children spend an
average of 8.6 hours a day in
school, with some spending
12 hours in the classroom,
according to a 2007 survey
conducted by China’s Youth
and Children Research Center.
Lao Kaisheng, an education policy researcher at Beijing Normal University, said
growing numbers of Chinese
parents were demanding more

of a say in how their children
were educated.
“There’s been a rapid rise
in home schooling, especially
in the past few years,” he said.
No official figures are
available for the proportion
of Chinese parents educating
their children at home, but
Lao estimates it at less than
1 per cent.
One of the most prominent
is Xu Xuejin, who moved from
the booming eastern Chinese
manufacturing hub of Zhejiang
to the picturesque but sleepy
southwestern town of Dali to
provide a better environment
for his two children.
“Chinese children are
taught to compete from a
young age,” Xu told AFP by
phone. “Students who can’t
compete are eliminated …
there’s too much pressure on
them.”
Xu, a Christian, said he
wanted to give his children a
more “Bible-centred” education
than they could get in school,
a key motivating factor in
countries such as the United
States where home-schooling
is becoming more popular.
An internet discussion

forum he started in 2010 for
Chinese home-schoolers to
swap classroom materials and
discuss educational theory now
has more than 4,000 registered
members.
Worries about the legality
of home schooling feature
heavily on the forum – Chinese
law states that children must
be enrolled in school aged
seven and receive compulsory
education for nine years.
“Chinese educational officials are split on the subject,”
said Lao. “Some want to force
children back into schools
while some would prefer to
legalise home-schooling, which
is why there haven’t been any
new regulations.”
But questions over the legality of home schooling have
not deterred Zhang, who says
he hopes his son will never
return to a Chinese school.
“My son’s Chinese and
English skills are much higher
than other children his age,”
said Zhang.
“I plan to teach my son at
home until he’s ready to attend
university. I hope he can attend
a great university like Harvard,
Oxford or Cambridge.”

TRI PROPERTY
PLANS NEXT MOVE
IN PHUKET
“We saw the need for affordable accommodation catering to the
lifestyles of local buyers, who need an easily accessible location,
making it convenient for them to commute. We also offered a
simple down payment plan to make things as easy as possible for
first-time buyers,” said Adisorn.

Tri Property CFO, Chaiwat Tuntiwiwat (left) and CEO Adisorn
Vivakanond after a busy day at the Zcape Condominium sales booth at
Central Festival Phuket in August.

Zcape Condominium was the third successful residential project
by Tri Property, following two previous condominium developments by Tri Property launched in Bangkok in 2010: Proud of
Cheangwattana and ProudX2.

Tri Property CFO, Chaiwat Tuntiwiwat said it was a privilege to
make a contribution to the local community. “We are very grateful
to those who have put their faith in helped us provide a product
that offers practical solutions to local lifestyles.

Adisorn, said that carefully considering the lifestyle needs of local
residents had been one of Zcape Condominium's key concepts.
We take our accommodation concepts seriously and aim to offer
style, function and affordability both in the short- and long-term,”
he said.

“Our aim is to give something back to the community by
providing practical and affordable accommodation options that
are easily accessible to locals,” said Mr Chaiwat.

The stylish space-saving features of Zcape Condominium's furnished units
was a winning feature to fit the lifestyles of Phuket property seekers.

“We conducted a great deal of research into the real demands of
accommodation seekers in Phuket and we are continuing our
research in order to offer more high- and low-end accommodation in Phuket and other southern provinces,” promised Adisorn.

Following Tri Property's debut in Phuket with the
launch of Zcape Condominium in July, the
Bangkok-based developer is already planning to
bring more innovations to the island's residential
property market soon.

“We see a lot of potential in Phuket and the rest of the region for
residential property that is the right fit for the lifestyles of local
and foreign buyers. The demands of Phuket home-seekers are
certainly unique and we are aiming to offer more exciting options
in what we see as a very dynamic market,” he said.

Tri Property penetrated the Phuket residential market in July with
the launch of Zcape Condominium – a seven-floor residential
development in Cherng Talay, comprising 198 furnished units in
three stylish layouts.
Tri Property CEO, Adisorn Vivakanond, said that considering the
lifestyle needs of local residents had been one of Zcape
Condominium's winning concepts, which they thoroughly
researched before deciding to invest in Zcape Condo, which has a
total project value of Bt495 million.

thephuketnews.com

The pair said a big 'thank you' to Phuket and to those who put
their faith in their vision of affordable accommodation by holding
an appreciation party at Room Zociety at Central Festival. They
also promised to add more innovations to Phuket's residential
property market soon.

Zcape Condominium's combination of affordability, convenience and a
great location proved very popular with property buyers in Phuket, who
snapped up almost all the units within three weeks of the pre-sales launch.

ere’s a question: How
many of those gorgeous multi-milliondollar homes along Phuket’s
west coast, “nestling” along
beaches or with “stunning
sea views” (to use property
developer language) actually
have people in them?
The answer is, not many.
Most are the second (or third,
or fourth) homes of the world’s
wealthy. They’ll spend a few
weeks of the year in them and,
if they like the idea of getting
some kind of financial return,
they’ll try to let them out when
they’re not there.
Lower down the scale,
around the B30 to B50 million
mark, the views are not so
gorgeous, and quite often the
homes are cheek-by-jowl with
others. But the story is still the
same; maybe 10 per cent have
full-time occupants. The rest
are empty most of the time.
Clearly this bothers KP Ho,
big boss of Laguna, who has
built dozens, maybe hundreds,
of these homes around the
fringes of his resort empire. As
he puts it (see page 3), “Right

Letters to the editor
Right to land
[Re. Encroachment
charges laid
against resort]
In my opinion, the
investigation should not
focus so much on the current owners, who bought
the land in good faith, with
titles issued by the land office. It should concentrate
more on the officials who
illegally and corruptly converted the land titles, and
the original owners, who
instigated the transactions.
Jay

Water waste

[Re. B286m anti-flood projects in the pipeline]
Klong Bang Yai in Kathu is
a neglected disgrace! This
once pristine waterway was
a joy to walk along, after a
small fortune was spent on it
a few years back. But what’s
the point of spending another

20 million if there’s never
any budget for maintenance?
Agogohome

Cute footballers
[Re. The Phuket News Premier League predictions]
Is ‘expert’ tipster Dane using
the same method for picking
teams as my girlfriend? Which
team has the cutest players?
Stegee

In good faith

[Re. Survey finds Thai
women second most unfaithful in the world]
Why don’t you show that
Thai men are the first most
unfaithful in the world... why
show only women?
Good Thai girl

the National Park you can see
somebody riding a motorbike
on the beach, which is illegal.
No wonder all the turtles
have abandoned Phuket as a
place to come ashore and lay
their eggs.
Benjamin Walker

Peace and quiet
[Re. Villagers protest over
noisy pub]
That’s good news. Too many
bars and clubs think they can do
whatever they want. It’s about
time the locals start demanding
some peace and quiet.
Dave

Forest for the trees
[Re. Encroachment charges
laid against resort]
There’s hope for Phuket yet.
Of course, actions speak
louder than words - as the
saying goes. Will the properties be demolished and
the forest replanted? Well,

one things for certain; we’ll
have a very long wait to
find out.
Agogohome

Let’s drink coffee

[Re. Romadom romps
through to Thailand’s Got
Talent finals]
Absolutely beautiful and extremely moving. May the
children of the same soil unite
and drink coffee together!
Winnie Kathy Schmid

Take a hike
[Re. Parks Dept hikes fees
as much as 150pc]
A few years ago I went to a
national park in Yala, in the
car were an Indian, a Malaysian and a Chinese national.
All were charged the Thai
rate, except for me because
of skin colour.
I have lived here for more
than 20 years, and since the
price went up from B20 to

now, although we’ve done
quite a bit in terms of Laguna
Homes and Residences, they’re
all bungalows and they’re not
really a community.”
Now, he says, he wants to
try building something that
will attract a lot of people to
stay full-time, to create a community of neighbours.
Being KP Ho, of course,
he’s planning it so that if he
gets the formula right, he’s
not going to lose any money
and will probably make large
amounts of it.
Although this is something that large Thai condo
companies such as Sansiri
and Phanason understand very
well, their eye is firmly on the
Thai market. Mr Ho, it is clear,
is looking at both local and
foreign markets.
Does Phuket need Laguna
City (or whatever it is eventually called)? Time will tell. But
one thing The Phuket News
does support is the idea that
developers should stop looking
solely at build-it-sell-it-get-rich,
and taking a broader, more
social view of their profession.

This week
in history
B200, and now B400, I have
refused to take my child to
national parks.
I wish they would surcharge Thais for admissions in
the Western world, and charge
them for entry to museums
that are free for Westerners
– there’d be an outcry.
The world is in economic turmoil, incomes have
dropped because salaries
are over taxed, what a time
to do this!
Ian

Unhappy camper

[Re. New drive to legalise
black taxis]
T he on ly worse way to
deal with this is to keep the
status quo.
This is one small step away
from that.
I’m not impressed. Why
is there such a reluctance to
enforce laws on Phuket?
Dave

Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Email editor@thephuketnews.com. Please include your full name, phone number, and email address.

■■ August 31, 1987 – Thai
Airways Flight 365 crashes
into the ocean near Phuket,
killing all 83 aboard.
■■ September 1, 1902 – A
Trip to the Moon, considered
one of the first ever science
fiction films, is released in
France.
■■ September 2, 1752 –
Great Britain adopts the
Gregorian calendar, nearly
two centuries later than
most of Western Europe.
■■ September 3, 1935 – Sir
Malcolm Campbell reaches
a record speed of 304.331
mph in an automobile in
Utah.
■■ September 4, 1998 –
Google is founded by university students Larry Page
and Sergey Brin.
■■ September 5, 1927 –
The first Oswald the Lucky
Rabbit cartoon, Trolley
Troubles, produced by Walt
Disney, is released by Universal Pictures.
■■ September 6, 1949 –
Howard Unruh, kills 13
neighbours in New Jersey to
become the first US singleepisode mass murderer.

thephuketnews.com

12 TOURISM/AVIATION

THE PHUKET NEWS

BUSINESS

Out of a long
dark tunnel

Tommy Hongsyok and
Honda Phuket are
finally back to normal
after disasters > 14

Alasdair Forbes execeditor@thephuketnews.com

PIPE DREAMING

B2tn target for tourism ‘is impossible dream’
TTR Weekly

T

ravel industry leaders
say the government’s
target of tourism revenue of B2 trillion a year by
2015 will be hard to achieve
if there are no concrete plans
or sufficient budget to back
the effort.
The Tourism Council of
Thailand’s planning and policy
president, Kongkrit Hi­r an­
yakit, said he agrees with the
decision to facilitate travel by
expanding airport capacity
and moving low-cost airlines
to Don Mueang airport.
“But unfortunately, those
who run the industry, including the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS), do
not work efficiently and this
invariably leads to the tourism sector falling short of its
targets.”
Mr Kongkrit said Thai-

land’s tourism remains healthy
thanks to the private sector’s
ability to weather crisis after
crisis.
“The number of tourist
arrivals reached a record 15.3
million in 2010 despite political tensions,” he noted.
In his view, the government has set an aggressive
target without formulating a
concrete plan to back it up.
He further advised that
some policies aimed at boosting the industry do not need a
huge investment, giving as an
example the waiving of visa
fees for tourists from China,
potentially a very lucrative
market.
“But we still see little progress on the initiative.”
Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra has been recruited
as a presenter in advertisements welcoming foreign
travellers, while the latest

projection pegs annual industry revenue at B2 trillion
by 2015.
But travel industry operators believe that figure is far
too optimistic considering
this year’s projection is only
B1.2 trillion.
In the best-case scenario,
revenue gains could hit B1.8
trillion from an estimated 26
million domestic and foreign
tourists, far short of the B2 trillion from 30 million travellers
set by the government.
The president of the Association of Domestic Travel,
Yutthachai Soonthronrattanavate, pointed out that the
government has implemented
initiatives such as raising the
daily minimum wage and
launching the first-time car
buyer scheme, but nothing to
boost tourism
“Unfortunately, no scheme
has been designed to boost

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

tourism and it is needed urgently if we are to meet targets.”
T he gove r n ment ha s
pinned its hopes on two state
agencies – the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the
Thailand Convention Exhibition Bureau – to promote
tourism and tourism products.
Mr Yutthachai called for
effective use of the budget and
greater competency on the part
of those involved, particularly
Tourism and Sports Minister,
Chumpol Silpa-archa, whom
he considers lacks long-term
vision and relevant marketing skills.
“If the situation continues,
Thailand may miss its goal of
being the top Asean tourism
hub. It could lose ground to
emerging rivals like Myanmar,
which has many untapped
attractions.”
MoTS says it has mapped

out a five-year development
plan from 2012 to 2016 for
Thailand’s tourism industry.
Strategies have been initiated
to bring in more revenue with
the ultimate goal of pushing

earnings to expand by at least
5 per cent a year.
Tourism is a major source
of revenue, equivalent to about
6 per cent of gross domestic
product.

Phuket hotel occupancy soars
A SURGE OF 11 PER CENT
in airport arrivals in the first
six months of 2012, to a total
of 2.32 million, is driving
Phuket’s hospitality market
as the destination chalks up a
healthy 75-per-cent hotel occupancy island-wide according
to the Phuket Mid-Year Hotel
Update report released by
hospitality consultancy C9
Hotelworks.
A rise in direct international flights in particular is
setting the stage for a forecast
of a record high of 9.3 million
passengers travelling through
the airport this year, with

thephuketnews.com

the improved access being
reflected in soaring hotel occupancy rates from January
to June, which drove revenue
per available room (RevPAR)
up by 8 per cent.
C9 Hotelworks Managing
Director Bill Barnett said,
“Sustained direct access to
the island is having a major
impact on the hospitality sector
and is resulting in an increasingly self-sufficient position
for Brand Phuket.
“New airlift from Mainland China and Russia, plus
the massive pick-up in regional
low-cost carrier flights is driv-

ing a new era of mass tourism
to the island and the hotel
sector is a clear beneficiary
of the growing trend.”
According to the report,
the top growth markets are
China, Eastern Europe and
Malaysia, which have grown at
66 per cent, 33 per cent and 17
per cent respectively compared
with the same period last year.
Meanwhile, according to
data compiled by STR Global,
hotels in the Asia Pacific region
experienced mixed results –
but Thailand as a whole was
a star in terms of occupancy,
while Phuket led in terms of

RevPAR increase.
While the region as a whole
saw occupancy fall 2.2 per
cent, “Thailand had its best
July occupancy performance
since 2006, with 67.8 per cent
for July 2012, just beating its
July 2006 performance of 67.1
per cent,” STR Global said in
its monthly analysis of hotel
statistics.
Led by Phuket, three markets in Asia-Pacific experienced
RevPAR increases of more
than 15 per cent: Phuket (up
26.2 per cent to B2,309.32);
Hanoi (up 25.0 per cent to
VND1,432,239.53); and Tokyo
(up 19.9 per cent to ¥11,375.45).
However, there are potential
obstacles to smooth development, Mr Barnett warns.

“Despite an upwards trading
pattern, mass tourism is the
elephant in the room of every
major resort destination in
Asia and the island continues
to face both a mounting infrastructure dilemma and the
lack of a clear-cut long-term
tourism plan.
“This can perhaps be best
demonstrated by the delayed
upgrade plans at Phuket International Airport. With the
expansion plan now expected
to be completed by 2015 – assuming an average annual
growth rate of 5 per cent – the
expanded airport would hit
capacity by 2017. Essentially,
this equates to a scenario of
a new facility being dead on
arrival.”

Logan Velaitham

AirAsia
names new
CEO for
Singapore
AIRASIA HAS PROMOTED
Logan Velaitham as its Chief
Executive Officer in Singapore.
He was posted to Singapore in
May as Country Head of the
Singapore operations.
He will continue his management of operations at the
airport, as well as the administration of AirAsia Singapore’s
office and employees.
A critical role for him, the
airline said, will be to prepare
AirAsia for further growth
by working closely with the
market, with regulators and
with government agencies in
Singapore.
Before his move to Singapore, Mr Velaitham was the
airline’s Regional Head of
Customer Experience.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

MONEY/PROPERTY 13

MUST DO BETTER
Bangkok slides in livable city index
propertyguru.com.sg

B

Preparing for
retirement:
It’s up to you
EXPAT
MONEY
Jerry Dingley
editor@thephuketnews.com

O

ver the past century,
the concept of retirement has changed
from being perceived as a
luxury to being an expected
right. During the same period
life expectancy has increased
significantly (see chart above).
Unfortunately, as people
have come to expect longer
lives, our pension systems
have not been adjusted accordingly. While rising life
expectancies are good news,
they place increasing emphasis
on individuals to fund their
own retirement.
State pensions use the tax
taken from the income of
younger working generations
to fund older generations. As
global birth rates continue to
drop, people live for longer
and fewer workers are left to
support an increasing number of retirees, pressures on
global state pension systems
are increasing.
The large emerging economies of India and China are
in particularly poor shape.
China faces a demographic
time-bomb more severe than
any developed country, caused
by its one-child policy. India
has a much younger population,
so its demographic problems
will be deferred.
In the United Arab Emirates, only nationals are eligible
for state benefits and these
do not stretch to expatriate
employees. In Hong Kong,
the normal retirement age is
65. The social security system
provides benefits to the elderly,
but these are means-tested
and are not portable to other
countries.
At the same time as state
pensions come under increasing
pressure to fund retirement provision, occupational schemes
face similar difficulties. These

schemes can be either defined
contribution (DC) or defined
benefit (DB) arrangements.
With a DC scheme, the
responsibility for providing
an adequate pension rests on
the employee; the accumulated
savings built up by retirement.
In a DB scheme, the investment
risk is taken by the employer,
with the pensioner guaranteed
a retirement income based on
pay and length of service.
In recent years there has
been a shift from DB to DC
schemes. In the UK many DB
schemes are heavily in deficit,
and firms are under pressure
to address the funding gap.
It is now obvious that no
one can rely on state or company pension schemes to ensure
sufficient income in old age.
Unfortunately, over the
past couple of decades, people
in Western countries have not
been adept at saving. While
many workers may have
planned to retire between the
ages of 60 and 65, the truth is
that most will either have to
work for longer or save much
harder in their working lives.
Those with an opportunity
to save should do so, especially
if they considering early retirement, and expert advice should
be sought to maximize returns
and reduce taxes to a minimum.
This article was based on
one written by Luanne Ahearne
and published by International
Adviser.
Important Note: This article
contains general information
only and is not intended to
be taken as specific financial
advisory, investment, or tax
advice. A personal analysis
should be obtained before acting or refraining from acting
on any information given.
Jerry Dingley and Tim
Whiteley are based in SE Asia
and, combined, have 50 years’
experience advising expatriates
& international investors. They
can be contacted by email to
info@ifainternationalgroup.
com

angkok remains just
outside the top 100
Most Livable Cities
according to this year’s annual survey conducted by the
Economist Intelligence Unit.
The Thai capital was listed
in 101st place – one place
higher than its 2011 ranking – alongside Almaty in
Kazakhstan and Amman in
Jordan.
The city scored high in
the education category but
low on stability.
Jon Copestake, editor of
the survey, said: “Asia is very
much a two-tiered region
when it comes to liveability.
We have hubs like Hong Kong
and Singapore with high
liveability driven by strong
infrastructure, healthcare
and stability.
“On the other hand the
region is home to some of
the least secure and poorest
locations for liveability. In
the middle we have countries
like China which are seeing
economic rapid gains feeding
slowly into their liveability
scores.”
Melbourne retained its
title as the world’s most livable city for the second year
running, but Singapore failed
to make it onto the top 50 list.
The Austrian city of Vienna
was placed second, with the
Canadian cities of Vancouver
and Toronto taking third and
fourth places respectively.
Osaka in Japan is Asia’s
most livable city, ranked in

Most livable: Melbourne came out on top of the index for the second year in a row.
12th place, while Tokyo was
18th and Hong Kong 31st.
The cities of Abidjan, Tehran, Douala, Tripoli, Karachi,
Algiers, Harare, Lagos, Port
Moresby and Dhaka sat at the
bottom of the list, with conflict
cited by the report as one of
the main reasons for the low
rankings.
The liveability report surveys 140 locations around the
world to assess the best or
the worst living conditions. It
originated as a means of testing whether Human Resource
Departments needed to assign
a hardship allowance as part
of expatriate relocation packages. It has since evolved into a
broad benchmarking tool used

by city councils, organisations
or corporate entities looking
to test locations against one
another.
Cities are scored on political
and social stability, crime rates
and access to quality health
care. The list also measures
the diversity and standard of
cultural events and the natural environment; education
(school and university); and
the standard of infrastructure,
including public transport.
Every city is assigned a
rating of relative comfort for
over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad
categories: stability; healthcare;
culture and environment; education; and infrastructure.

Each factor in a city is
rated as acceptable, tolerable,
uncomfortable, undesirable or
intolerable.
For qualitative indicators,
a rating is awarded based on
the judgment of in-house analysts and in-city contributors.
For quantitative indicators, a
rating is calculated based on
the relative performance of a
number of external data points.
The scores are then compiled and weighted to provide
a score of 1–100, where 1 is
considered intolerable and 100
is considered ideal. Melbourne
scored 97.5.
The full report is available
for purchase at eiu.com/liveability2012

thephuketnews.com

14 TOURISM/BUSINESS

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

Phuket scores well
in Smart Travel poll
THAI TOURISM DESTINAtions, airlines, airports, hotels
and spa resorts scored high
marks in the Best in Travel
2012 Poll announced by the
popular website Smart Travel
Asia 2012.
Altogether, a total of 61
Thai tourism industry products
were listed in the poll rankings,
some in the top 10 and others
in the top 25.
The list was led by Phuket,
which was ranked the secondbest holiday destination in Asia,
the same ranking as last year.
Bangkok ranked as 4th best
city for business and 5th in the
top 10 holiday destinations in
Asia. Koh Samui ranked the
10th best holiday destination
in Asia.
Thai Airways International,
Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi
Airport and Samui Airport
also fared well. An analysis
of the poll results also indicated that the award-winning
products were located nationwide, including Hua Hin and
Chiang Rai.
Commented TAT Governor
Suraphon Svetasreni, “We
are proud to see so many of
our destinations and products
scoring highly in these rankings. It clearly shows that the
determined effort made by
our entire industry to upgrade

thephuketnews.com

quality is paying off and getting
global recognition.”
Announcing the awards,
Smart Travel Asia’s EditorPublisher Vijay Verghese said
that one interesting finding
this year is that few affluent
travellers book hotels online.
“While affluent travellers
make travel decisions online,
they do not commonly book
online. They go offline to talk
to a human being in order to
ask questions and personalise
the purchase.”
“Business travellers in
particular are averse to online
bookings as travel circumstances change rapidly and
unpredictably.
Phuket rankings
Spa Hotels & Resorts (Asia):
4. Banyan Tree Phuket (5 last
year); 5. Amanpuri (4); 11. JW
Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa
(9); 21. Angsana Laguna Phuket
(-); 25. Aleenta Phuket-Phang
Nga Resort & Spa (25).
Leisure Hotels & Resorts Tommy Hongsyok with his Honda CR-Z, one of the new ‘official’ imports from Japan.
(Asia): 4. Amanpuri (4); 7.
Twinpalms Phuket (8); 12.
Banyan Tree Phuket (17); 13.
Sala Phuket (25); 19. JW Marriott (18); 24. Indigo Pearl (-).
Conference Hotels (Asia):
17. Angsana Laguna Phuket
nuphas Vividkharn,
(-); 25. JW Marriott Phuket
Alasdair Forbes
the local agent for
Resort & Spa (-).
execeditor@thephuketnews.com
Stor y
Honda cars, has finally emerged from a horrible
time. First, in March last year, vice cars, and even then we
earthquake tremors and a couldn’t get parts. We had no
tsunami devastated large areas cars to sell.
of Japan, including Honda’s
“It took eight months beproduction facilities.
fore everything got back to
While Honda in Japan normal. But customers were
battled to get the plants up very understanding. They
and running again, parts for knew it wasn’t our fault.”
repair and service of Hondas
Everything is back to norin Phuket became more and mal now. In fact, better than
more rare.
normal: last month Anuphas
Just when it seemed that Vividkharn sold more than
things were coming tight 400 cars.
again, the “slow tsunami” hit
There is still a backlog of
Thailand – the floods in much orders to meet. Some buyers
of the centre of the country, have been prepared to wait as
the worst in 50 years.
long as a year for the Honda
Unlike many carmakers in they want.
Thailand, who manufacture in
The international reputathe Rayong area, Honda’s local tion of Honda for building
plant was in Ayutthaya, in the reliable cars, and Anuphas’
Rojana industrial area, which local reputation for quality
was inundated with water up in their various businesses
to three metres deep.
seems to be a combination
News outlets across the that has helped the company
world carried photographs tremendously through the
of the Honda plant, with just hard times.
the roofs of new cars showing
The government’s First
through the water.
Car initiative, which allows
Montavee “Tommy” Hong- first-time buyers of cars under
syok, who is assistant manag- 1,500cc to avoid taxes if they
ing director of the two Honda keep the car for five years, has
sale and service facilities in also been a great help.
Phuket – in Phang Nga Rd,
Now Tommy is in expanPhuket Town, and on Chao sion mode. A new branch is
Fa West Rd – as well as the to built in Thalang, to handle
third in Phang Nga, says it was both sales and servicing of cars
“the worst time in 23 years, in the north of the island and
since we first got the Honda Phang Nga. Anuphas currently
cars agency in 1989”.
services 70 to 80 cars a day at
“All we could do was ser- the Chao Fa Rd centre – which

END OF BAD DAYS
Honda Phuket back in form after quakes and floods

A

SUCCESS

is designed to service up to 150
a day – and 40 to 50 a day at
the recently reopened centre
on Phang Nga Rd.
Honda Phuket is also receiving the first deliveries of
Japan-made cars, including
the sporty CR-Z hybrid, and
the Odyssey and Spada people
movers.
Though limited numbers
of these imports have been
available through what Tommy
calls the “grey market”, Honda
Thailand is now bringing them
in officially, which means full
service and support. Tommy
is already driving around in
a new CR-Z.
Anuphas is also collaborating with Honda in other
ways. For example, customers
who have little or no experience of driving can get a
one-day course, free, to get
them started more safely on
the road. Two professional
instructors trained in Bangkok
are teaching the courses.
Honda car (Thailand)
Co.,Ltd. also has also set up
a disaster fund that receives
B1,000 from every car sold,
B100 from every motorcycle,
and B10 from every engine.
The fund is being reserved
to help communities hit by
future large-scale disasters.
In its first year Honda planned
to get B300 million and will
continue until reach B1,000
million.
Honda’s – and Anuphas
Vividkharn’s – annus horribilis seems to be over.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

09

Easy rider Teddy
Fagerstrom rolls into
Old Phuket Town

13

Comedy movie Ted
breaks new ground
for stuffed animals

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

POWERED BY

Passing of
the Gods

Following in the footsteps of the
remarkable Ngaben Balinese
royalty funeral procession
> Pages 10-11
Photo by Linawaty Ko

WEEKDAYS

SATURDAYS

SUNDAYS

Breakfast

Sam & Natasha

7am-11am

Weekend Brunch

Jay Le Shark

10am - 1pm

Weekend Brunch

Jay Le Shark

10am – 1pm

The Power Hour with
Radenska Natural Water

Live 89.5

11am-12pm

Phuket News Radio

Live 89.5

1pm - 2pm

The Spin

Tim Newton

1pm - 4pm

Jason Wilder

4pm - 7pm

Live 89.5

7pm - 8pm

Live 89.5

8pm – 11pm

Lifestyle

Steve Johnston

12pm-3pm

Saturday Sport

Sam Clarke

2pm - 5pm

Drive

Jason Wilder

3pm-7pm

Going Green

Nick Anthony

5pm – 7pm

Lazy Sunday
Afternoon
Phuket News Radio
(repeat)

Non Stop Music

Live 89.5

7pm-7am

Saturday Night Fever

Live 89.5

7pm – 11pm

Sunday Night Chill

thephuketnews.com

2 ART

THE PHUKET NEWS

Gaining full clarity
through abstraction

S

Jody Houton
editor3@thephuketnews.com

Clockwise from top:
Watcharin ‘Nui’ Rodnit displays plans to
turn Phuket Town
into a walk-around
museum; one of
his conceptual artworks; in the studio
teaching a local student; a sculpture.

thephuketnews.com

urat Thani native Watcharin
‘Nui’ Rodnit has a dream – that
is probably technicolour and
abstract in visuals – to make
Phuket Town the artistic hub of
the island.
A major and crucial first
step to realising it is to turn
the eternally vacant and ironicallynamed ‘Lucky Complex’ that has never
actually managed to open, into an art
museum.
Speaking from his art studio on
Yaowarat Road in Phuket Town, Nui
said, “I think the government could
help a lot more and promote local arts
more. Krabi has its own museum even
though it is tiny compared to Phuket.”
It is for this reason
that he, along with
other members of the
recently formed Chino Art
Group, are asking for a budget from local authorities to
turn his dream into reality.
However Nui’s aim doesn’t end
there. “There could be art structures all over town, it could be a
reason for people to visit Phuket
Town.”
Some of his ideas include a giant
crab statue, a giant sea horse and
many other strange and wonderful structures dotted around Phuket

Town. Until that time, Nui is quite content on
burrowing away in his studio and teaching children and young adults the finer points of artistic
expression. He is quite qualified to do this as he
himself was a child artist.
“I started [art] when I was six years old, it
was in a lesson at school and we were asked to
draw the exterior of the building. I remember I
stayed outside long after everybody else had finished and gone back inside. It was very hot that
day, but I didn’t care, I enjoyed drawing. I knew
straight away that that was what I wanted to do.”
The studio is also Nui’s home and it has a
wonderfully relaxed, vibrant and fun feel to it.
Huge abstract paintings adorn walls, sketches
hang on doors and weird ornaments take pride of
place around the room.
Much of Nui’s work is inspired by scenes of nature and the environment and although he does
do a lot of lifelike and still life portraits, a lot of
his fabulous work nowadays is abstract.
This change of style he traces back to the moment his sister died in a car accident. In perhaps
a way of dealing with those confusing emotions,
he created a huge 5x15 metre ‘abstract’ piece.
Nui still does the huge pieces, one of which he
is doing commercially in a sort of homage to the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
“A client of mine has commissioned me to do
this piece here,” he says gesturing to a huge 5x15
metre piece.
“She wanted me to do it so that she could better remember her Italian husband who recently
passed away. When it’s finished it will go on the
ceiling of their Italian restaurant in Patong.”
Nui is a member of the Chino Art Group, a
group of 10 Phuket town artists with the common
aim of promoting Phuket Town art around the
island and Thailand.
From September 29 – October 7, the Chino
Art Group will be putting on the ‘Abstract 2012’
exhibition at the Jungceylon shopping centre in
Patong.
“As we would like to one day have our own museum, we are actually hoping to make this a reality through exhibitions like these.”

If you would like to
see your studio here,
contac t: editor3@
thephuketnews.com

ENVIRONMENT 3

THE
PHUKET
NEWS31, 2012
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
FRIDAY,
AUGUST

Creating a page from
which we can all read
Jody Houton
editor3@thephuketnews.com

Above: Politicians,
lecturers, environmentalists, hotelliers,
students and sustainability experts were
at SEEK’s first ever
conference on August
24. Below: Sean Panton and Robert Steele
answer a question
posed during the conference. Photos:
Dan Miles Media

P

huket’s environmental awareness
is improving, but needs more active
participation from businesses, property developers and local residents,
according to some of the island’s
leading activists.
The environmental campaigners were speaking at Phuket-based
environmental organisation SEEK’s first official conference at the Holiday Inn, Patong
last Friday (August 24).
Politicians, teachers, representatives of
the hospitality industry, business owners
and a whole host of concerned local individuals were all in attendance at the ‘SEEKing a
Sustainable Phuket Conference & Forum’.
Speaking to The Phuket News, Sean Panton, one of the founding members of SEEK,
said how far the project had come since the
idea first came to him.
“I remember swimming with my son a few
years ago and being hit three times by plastic
bags, and I thought that when he’s my age, he
probably wouldn’t be able to do this.”
This occurrence was the catalyst in Sean
founding the NGO SEEK (Society, Environment, Economy and Knowledge) and after
years of hard
work, he, along
with other
significant
members of
the group, has
made enough
noise and
raised

enough awareness of Phuket’s environmental
problems that a significant section of Phuket
society are beginning to listen.
The event was split into two halves with
lectures and overviews in the morning and
group work and breakout sessions in the
afternoon.
During a talk in the morning, Bangkokbased Robert Steele, from Systainability
Asia, a sustainability consultancy firm, stated the aim of the day, which – perhaps unintentionally – further highlighted the rather
problematic task ahead.
“We need to make sure we are all on the
same page,” he said.
This elicited a question from the audience
in reference to the disproportionate number
of Westerners in the audience. The question
posed was, that although the majority of
Westerners and the English language media
on the island were aware of issues of pollution, littering and recycling, were the Thai
press and by extension Thai people? Were
they on the same page?
Mr Steele said: “That’s part of the challenge... but don’t give up.”
He added that it was imperative that regardless of how many schemes and initiatives
were launched within the foreign community,
it was important to involve the local people,
“This is something for SEEK to think about...
Please try and be as inclusive as possible.”
Without a cohesive plan, even the finest
theories and strategies will fail if they are not
inclusive.
Panuwat Phakdee-auksorn, Ph.D Lecturer
at Songkran University, agreed: “Phuket people must work together. It’s a good project, but
it’s very ambitious... and might prove difficult. Phuket is still very much seen as a great
business opportunity and everybody wants to
take what they can get.”
He referenced how expansion and building
work and a lack of enforcement of building
regulations had harmed the island over the
last 10 years.
Professor Panuwat said it was for this reason he thought that at least the concept of the
day’s conference was positive.
“This is a challenging project and they
have some good examples from different countries around the world. I think it’s good to be

focusing on Phuket at the moment as it’s very
much needed.” He did however deliberate as
to whether the right people were focusing.
“Yes and no... I think how can they make a
change with the local people? Can they identify key people? If they can’t talk with the right
people it’s going to be difficult.”
Although there were many of the ‘right’
people in attendance, including Kathu Mayor
Chai-Anan Suttikul, who pledged to support
island sustainability planning with SEEK,
Professor Panuwat said he would like to see
more local people, more representatives from
the government sector, hospitality industry
and local municipality at such events.
He also said he was surprised that there
was still no real modern-day equivalent of
the hugely successful ‘Magic Eyes’ litter campaign of his childhood.
“More could be done, especially with the
more tech-savvy younger generation through
Facebook and other social media,” he said.
However, SEEK is still very much in its infancy and working on finalising the 24 ‘indicators’ that highlight the most pressing areas
of concern and what can be done.
“The initiative of introducing these indicators comes from Dr Paul Chamniern, the
Executive Director of Thailand Environment
Institute, who was sick of people not really
knowing what was wrong and what could be
done to help,” Mr Panton said.
“With these points established, it will
raise awareness and people can monitor
them, and then hold the relevant people to account if they don’t follow them.
Dr Chamniern also called on local government to work quickly to better understand
the island’s carrying capacity and establish
tougher enforcement of existing regulations
and rules, suggesting that as much as 50
per cent of all buildings on Phuket may be illegally designed and constructed. “If we are
not careful, the Phuket tourism industry will
go the same way of Spain’s with regards to
the building work and the effect it had on the
industry there. Phuket needs city planning,”
Professor Panuwat said.
Next on SEEK’s agenda is an island-wide
litterbug campaign, supported and promoted
by Paiboon Upatising OrBorJor President
(Provincial Council) for Phuket Province.

“The main usefulness of this breed
has doubtless been
its ability to run
alongside or behind
coaches and many
ladies of fashion
would never be seen
without a pair of
Dalmatians trotting
alongside her coach.”
Jackie Perry is based
in Phuket but travels
to judge dog shows
all over the world.
She is happy to answer any questions
from dog lovers.

A

lthough most authorities on the
breed will affirm that the breed
came from Dalmatia (Croatia),
some people say it originated in
England and then went to Dalmatia.
The Dalmatian has been portrayed in many paintings and
sculptures and there are even Egyptian
engravings of such spotted dogs following
chariots.
There is little doubt the breed is many
hundreds of years old and has been used
in varying utilities such as a guard on the
border of Dalmatia, as a draft (pulling carts)
dog, and also as a shepherd dog.
It is well known as the mascot of firemen
and there are many recounts of its heroics in
this field. It has also been used as a sporting
dog to retrieve game.
It has a bright retentive memory and
this has made it very popular in the past as
a circus performing dog. However the main
usefulness of this breed has doubtless been
its ability to run alongside or behind coaches
and many ladies of fashion would never be
seen without a pair of Dalmatians trotting

Pets

alongside her coach. The breed
is built for running with its
lithe muscular lines. Never
too heavy in body. With
well-set shoulders and good
strong well angulated hindquarters.
The standard calls for a poised, strong,
muscular dog free of any shyness. It must be
symmetrical in outline and capable of great
endurance and speed.
The male will stand 56-61 cm with 54-59
cm for the female. The dog will measure as
high at the withers as it is from forechest to
buttock. It has good bone and is sturdy but
never heavy in body.
The head is in balance with the body and
must give an alert and intelligent expression. The eyes should be dark and round and
should have a full black eye rim.
The neck is well arched and flows into
a smooth topline. Good layback of shoulder
and well-bent stifles on the muscled rear
legs. The feet are round and compact with
well-arched toes. Flat feet are a major fault
as this is a running breed. The coat is short
and dense and has either black or liver spots,

evenly distributed over the body.
They vary in size from five baht
pieces on the body to one baht pieces on the legs, head and tail.
There should not be any patches of colour anywhere on the body and
small “freckles” are not encouraged.
The gait of the Dalmatian is smooth
and elastic with powerful drive from the
rear. It is a thing of beauty when at full
stretch. The breed does suffer from deafness
and puppies should always be bred from
certified parents and then tested at age 6 - 8
weeks. Skin irrations are another problem
but this can largely be due to food or dust
and once the cause has been discovered then
it should be fairly easy to put to rights.
As a pet it is wonderful with children,
should never show any sign of shyness but
should be well balanced and invariably playful. The breed is great for anyone who rides
horses as it will run alongside as you go.
It does need a fair amount of exercise but
very little grooming. A once a week rub over
with a damp cloth should rid it of any dead
hairs. It is very suitable for our climate here
in Thailand.

Every month,
the best pet
wins a B500
voucher from:

“Meow, meow, I’m Daisy and I belong to Richard Wonka. I was
picked up from PAWS along with my stepbrother Leo and now we
live with Richard. I’m around three months old and definitely a little
lady. My favourite hobby is being carried around!”

“Hello, I’m
a male Ja Dada,
terrier. I b ck Russell
Supawade elong to Aoh
e
rite thing , and my favout
you can te o do is sleep as
ll fr
I am pictu om this photo!
r
mattress, ed here on my
whic
I spend a h is where
lot of my
time!”

n my previous article, I touched
upon weight resistance training
and prescribed a beginner’s programme for starting out.
We further indicated that there
are various forms of cardio to get
your heart pumping that may
include brisk walking, jogging,
cycling, swimming, participating in a
sporting activity or joining a health club
and joining in a group exercise class.
We will now take a closer look at cardiovascular conditioning and more specifically how group exercise can increase
your life expectancy and fitness level.
There are various forms of group exercise classes that offer various benefits
such as Aerobics, Step, Fit ball, Yoga,
Zumba, Cycling, Pilates and Boot Camp
classes. The usual length of each class
is 60 minutes and it caters for both female and male participants.
Group classes can be fun and sociable and keep you motivated.
They can help you burn those unwanted calories and training in a group
is often far more enjoyable than training on your own.
Most fitness classes tend to be free

with gym memberships
and all exercise classes are
designed to help you reach
your own personal fitness
goals in a fun and energizing environment. One specific Group X programme that
is used in fitness centres
worldwide are the licensed
Les Mills programmes.
They offer a variety of
programmes that include
Bodypump, Bodycombat,
Bodyjam, Bodybalance,
Bodyattack, Bodystep,
Bodyvive, Rpm, Cxworx and Sh’bam.
What makes these programmes
great is that new routines are released
every three months with new music and
choreography ensuring that members
don’t become bored with the routines.
The main reason for joining a fitness
club is to get results fast. It might be
weight loss, to tone your body shape, or
to challenge yourself to become fit and
strong.
When working out on your own
it’s easier to stop when the going gets
tough. Group fitness is the most powerful way to get the inspiration and
results you are looking for.

Group exercise suits all fitness levels, no matter how fit you are. You will
gain strength from exercising with others and you will motivate each other to
work harder, and push yourself more.

In the spirit of giving
Ten questions for Larry Amsden, the new president of the Rotary Club, Patong

10 QUESTIONS
Jody Houton
editor3@thephuketnews.com

Long-term American
expat Larry Amsden
recently became the
President of the
Rotary Club, Patong.
Here he speaks to
The Phuket News
about what inspires
him on a daily
basis, his proudest
moment so far and
why he thinks that
Phuket residents
are by and large very
charitable. Photos:
Dan Miles Media

1. Congratulations on your recent appointment to the President of the Rotary Club, Patong. What exactly is the
Rotary Club, and how long have you
been involved?
Rotary is one of the oldest service clubs in
the world, founded in 1905. There are currently about 1.2 million Rotarians spread
throughout 166 countries.
These members represent a cross
section of a community, but are usually
successful business professionals who
have two things in common: They share
a desire to help improve their communities, and they share a desire for camaraderie with other like-minded professionals
within their community.
I have been a member of the Rotary
Club of Patong Beach since it was founded
in 2001.
2. What have been the most significant projects you have worked on as
a Rotary member?
Our most significant projects took place
after the tsunami in 2004.
We rebuilt about 25 houses for tsunami victims, repaired or built over a hundred boats for fishermen along the Phang
Nga coast, and established a scholarship
fund to enable children who were victims
of the tsunami to continue their education.
Over 300 children were helped by these
scholarships and there are still almost 200
currently receiving our financial help. In
total, we distributed over US$1 million in
tsunami relief, most of which we collected
from other Rotary Clubs around the world.
3. Now that you’re the president, what
do your duties involve?
My personal objective is to keep our club
focused on service projects throughout
Patong, Phuket, and the Andaman coast.
My biggest challenge is to build a club
which accommodates the very diverse makeup of our membership. We currently have
members from 11 different countries with
about as many different ideas on how the club
should be run.
4. Which areas of Phuket society do you
think are most in need of assistance?
In the experience we have gained over the
past 11 years, I would have to say the

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

T

6. Was there a defining moment in
your adult life that prompted you
to help others?
I think the most profound experience
that probably gelled my feelings was
the tsunami. Seeing so much devastation and trauma in other people’s
lives around me was what we call ‘my
Rotary moment’.
7. Aside from your Rotary duties,
what do you do for enjoyment?
I enjoy having a beer, or maybe a couple of beers with my friends, sailing,
golf, and generally just enjoying living
on this beautiful island
8. How and why did you end up
moving to Phuket?

Burmese workers, the Moken (chao lay, or sea
gypsy) people living in our area of concern,
and the many children of families struggling
to provide for their education.
For example, in one Moken village off the
coast of Ranong, the mortality rate among
children under two years of age is one in
three.
To me, in this day and age, this is not acceptable. This is why we scope our activities
beyond just Phuket.
5. How did your philanthropic side
flourish? Were your parents charitable?
My parents were pretty much average in
terms of charitable activities. They contributed to the Red Cross, United Way and so
on. My mother worked for the Red Cross in
America for several years.
I guess I realised right around the time I

I retired from a multinational company in Bangkok, then got involved in a
start-up tech firm, then a consulting
company, all in Bangkok.
Then one day, while sitting in one of
the daily traffic jams in Bangkok, I
calculated how much of my life was
spent doing just that, sitting in traffic. We
moved to Phuket about two weeks later.
9. What aspects of Phuket life do you
find most irritating?
The lack of a master plan to develop the
island in a more sustainable way. And, the
traffic here is getting a little annoying.
10. Do you think Phuket residents are
generally good Samaritans?
Yes, definitely. There are seven Rotary
Clubs on the island, several Lions Clubs,
Child Watch, The Phuket Has Been Good
to Us Foundation, GOMS, the International
Women’s Club, and many, many more organisations, all trying to make a contribution to
various charitable causes.
Even the local motorcycle clubs are contributing. That’s one of the things I really
like about living here.

The mahout and his elephant

hirty-four year-old Thonsuk ‘Thong’ Klonpet has worked as a mahout (elephant
trainer) for the Kinaree Elephant Camp
in Phuket for the last 10 years.
Although the practice of elephant trekking and especially elephant ‘training’,
has been a highly contentious topic of late,
Thong is adamant that he uses the special
elephant hook to ‘manage’ the elephant very
rarely.
“The hook looks creepy but it’s really not.
It’s only used to control the direction or train
the elephant by hooking the top of the elephant’s ear when they are being naughty.”
Thong admits though that the hook does
little when it comes to controlling male el-

thephuketnews.com

retired, how very fortunate I was to have had
the benefit of a good education and professional opportunities, and that I owed something back to my community and those people
who were less fortunate that I.
And I also realised that I could actually
make a difference in other people’s lives.

ephants, especially when they are on heat.
This is why he prefers to train female
elephants.
Addressing the supposition made by many
tourists that the elephants get hurt with him
doing this, Thong said, “Mahouts often grow
up with the elephants. They are like one of
the family.
“You will never know how hard it is to
heal when our big animal gets hurt,” he said.
This is why Thong is quick to point out
the difference between what he does and
other less reputable mahouts in Phuket,
“Good mahouts treat their elephants well,
and would never take their elephant walking
along a street as you sometimes see,” he said.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

thephuketnews.com

8 DINING

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY,
2012
FRIDAY,AUGUST
AUGUST 31
31,, 2012

An antique-filled
product of passion

O

Above, the cafe
is an eclectic mix
of vintage furniture and decor,
all of it available
for purchase.

n an extremely wet afternoon last
week, the Since 1892 cafe on Thalang
Road proved to be a very pleasant
sanctuary from the deluge.
Opened in April, the cosy cafe
combines owner Nathawan “Poo”
Wongyai’s three true loves – shopping,
coffee and cakes.
In case the location seems familiar, the space
used to be the Phuket Camera shop, which is
now on Dibuk Road.
Redecorating the shop has been a labour of
love for Poo and her friends, as they repainted
and kitted out the shop to resemble an old-style
English cafe.
“For one month, my friends and I were working every day.”
The work was worth it. It’s a delightful little
hangout, decorated in vintage English style
with antique furniture and even its own little
“garden” area out the back.
Word seems to be spreading, as it is quickly
becoming a popular hangout and on the particular rainy day we visited was full of people seeking refuge and enjoying a warming coffee.
The cakes and other sweet treats on the
menu are made by Poo’s friend Paa, and include
the famous strawberry crepe – a sweet vanilla
flavoured cake created in layers – and the banana ganache, filled with cream and fresh banana slices.
Cakes are priced from B79 to B95, while
drinks, including coffee, tea and smoothies start
at B50.
As well as serving as a cafe, the other half
of the space is a clothes shop. Most are second
hand, high quality vintage items from Malaysia,

ranging in price from B390 to around B900.
It’s surprising Poo has time to run everything, as she’s studying for an MBA at Ramkhamhaeng University, and also owns the Miss
Korea House cosmetics
shop in Phuket Town.
Not surprisingly,
she’s a passionate antiques collector, with a
range of furniture and
other items available
for sale. Though mostly
sourced in Bangkok, the
pieces are predominately
European in origin, including a 150-year-old
book cabinet from Denmark, priced at B36,000.
If you’re interested
in buying anything, it’s
best to move quick. “I
like antiques because they have a story, and
everything is for sale in my shop. That’s why we
have to redesign the shop every month as items
are sold. It’s good for the customers because the
shop always looks different.”
“I want to make this shop like a small community. The antiques are a real talking point,
customers are always asking me about them
and where they come from.”
“A lot of the customers are Scandinavian and
they visit regularly. They say the shop looks like
something they would find in their own country,
and they love to take photos.”
Since 1892, 136 Thalang Road, Phuket Town.
(Near Thepkrassattri Road/Thalang Rd intersection). 081 537 5861. Free Wi-Fi.

round 30 people
attended a dinner
at the Boathouse
last Thursday evening with wines from
the Forrest winery in
Marlborough, located
in the northeast of
New Zealand’s South
Island.
The Forrest winery
was launched in 1988
by John and Brigid
Forrest and was one
of the first 10 wineries in the Marlborough
region. Leaving behind
careers in molecular
biology and medicine
John and Brigid returned to Marlborough
in 1988 to establish
their first vineyard in
Marlborough.
On the menu on
Thursday were dishes
with crab, turbot and
duck breast, accompanied by Forrest sauvignon blanc, pinot noir
and riesling.

ailing from Sweden,
Teddy Fagerstrom
is a qualified spinal
surgeon, musician,
big bike lover and now
cafe owner.
It’s an unusual mix
for sure, but Teddy
wouldn’t have it any other way.
In April, Teddy and his wife
Nid opened the Rider Cafe on
Yaowarat Road in Phuket Town,
which is quickly becoming a local
hangout.
Previously, the cafe, decorated
with motorcycle memorabilia,
was situated on the bypass road,
near the motorbike service shop
Teddy used to own.
But the move to Phuket Town
has worked in the couple’s favour,
with a lot more foot traffic.
“A lot of people chose not to stay near the beaches
because it costs too much.
“A couple of years ago there wasn’t much to do in
Phuket Town. But now there are a lot of new venues
– music, little restaurants and a lot of art. There are
three galleries just on Yaowarat Road alone.
“It’s becoming a good alternative to laying down on
the beach with a cocktail.”
With an excellent menu, Rider is becoming known

Learn to cook
Thai at the
Dusit Thani

for its burgers, breakfasts and
sandwiches, which include the
Rider bacon sandwich – bacon,
tomato, lettuce and mayo on a
wheat baguette for B99.
The Evo Burger comes with
a pork or beef patty, tomato,
onion, pickle, mayo and fries for
B150, while the “upsized” version
includes one more patty plus an
egg for B199.
As well as the Western food
options, there is also a full Thai
menu ranging from B70 to B100,
plus cakes and desserts from
Woody’s Sandwich Shoppe.
“Nothing is precooked or premade, and we try to use local
ingredients,” says Teddy.
Teddy’s been in Phuket since
2001, largely involved in the
medical industry.
He’s currently director of the Scandinavian Orthopaedic Laboratory, situated on the grounds of Bangkok
Hospital Phuket.
In his spare time he can be found playing his bass
guitar with the crew at the nearby Rockin’ Angels bar
in the evenings, while during the day helps Nid out at
the cafe.
Rider Cafe, 30 Yaowarat Road, Phuket Town, 089
470 9470. Open daily except Mondays, 10am to 11pm.

WHEN
YOU’RE
SICK OF
GIRLIE
FOOD
JOIN US
FOR A
JUICY
STEAK

I

f you’re short of something to do on
the next rainy day, consider heading
along to the Dusit Thani Laguna
Phuket cooking class, which takes
place every Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday from 3pm-5pm.
Held at their Ruen Thai restaurant,
the cooking class offers a hands on
experience to learn Thai cooking with
executive sous chef Pachon Pakham.
Chef Pachon has worked at the
Dusit for six and a half years, and
been a chef for more than 20.
Originally from Sisaket province in
Thailand’s northeast, Mr Pachon came
to Phuket 22 years ago.
Since then he has worked at the Pacific Island Club (now Laguna Beach
Resort), the Racha Resort on Racha Island, Horizon Patong Resort, and the
Le Meridien Khao Lak.
For more information visit http://
dusitthanilagunaphuket.dusit.com

Great steaks, burgers and salads.
Happy hour drinks and live sports in the heart of Patong.
Cold beers, cocktails, smoothies and a good selection of Australian wine.

or a very long time I
had been hoping to see
the Ngaben cremation
procession in Bali.
Finally, and by pure
coincidence, I witnessed
this amazing event last
month when the funeral
of the late Tjokorda Putra Dharma Yudha, one of the family
members of the Ubud Kingdom,
was carried out in the centre of
Ubud town.
Thousands of people, including tourists, crammed into the
area to witness this event.
At exactly 1pm, after an hour
of continuous prayer, the coffin
was carried up and laid on the
top of a 21-metre-high bade. The
pagoda-like structure was made
from bamboo, paper, and wood,
and was visually impressive and
grand with elaborate decoration.
In August the weather is extremely pleasant in Bali, with
the temperature generally hovering between 25 and 28 degrees
Celsius during the day. Under a
beautiful blue sky and cooling
air, the procession begun. Ninety
or so young Balinese men lifted
the four tonne bade and moved
toward the cremation site located roughly two kilometres away.
Lined before the bade was
an eight-metre-high nagabanda
(dragon effigy) and a huge sarcophagus resembling a bull,
made from a bamboo structure
covered in paper.
All were carried by the young
men, with the slow procession
accompanied by a troop of Balinese musicians. At every

Linawaty Ko
editor@thephuketnews.com

In August the
weather is extremely pleasant
in Bali, with the
temperature generally hovering
between 25 and
28 Celsius degree
during the day.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under a beautiful blue sky and
cooling air, the
procession begun. Ninety or so
young Balinese
men lifted the
four tonne bade
and moved toward the cremation site located
roughly two kilometres away.â&#x20AC;?

From top: The
calm scene before the procession gets underway; 90 young
Balinese men
hoist the bade
for its two kilometre journey;
the eight-metrehigh nagabanda
dragon effigy.

thephuketnews.com

TRAVEL 11

THE
PHUKET
NEWS31, 2012
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
FRIDAY,
AUGUST

From top: The coffin is carried up
to the top of the
bade; the climax
of Ngaben as the
fire is lit under the
bull sarcophagus
with the body
inside; a troupe
of Balinese musicans accompany
the procession.

corner of the street the bade was spun
in circles, as Balinese believe this helps
to confuse the evil spirits and keep
them away from the deceased.
Two hours after the procession began, the black bull finally reached the
cremation site, followed shortly by the
dragon and finally the bade.
Placed on a concrete stage, the black
bull sarchophagus was sliced open on
the back, and the deceased’s body was
moved from the bade into the body
of the bull. The final ritual was then
carried out by a Hindu priest, who
sprinkled holy water on the bull, while
the deceased’s family members placed
offerings around the body.
Finally the climax of Ngaben arrived, when a fire was lit under the sarcophagus with the body inside.
The fire is used to free the spirit
from the body and enable reincarnation. No tears were shed by anyone,
because the Balinese believe that the
deceased is only temporarily not present, and will reincarnate or find his
final rest in moksha (heaven).
The final ceremony was held 12 days
after the Ngaben, when the ashes were
wrapped in a white and yellow cloth
and were sunk into the sea.
Ngaben is a traditional Balinese
funeral ceremony that has been carried out since ancient times. The locals
believe that this ceremony purifies the
souls of the deceased.
Unlike many western funerals, Ngaben is a joyful occasion for Balinese as
it represents the release of their ancestor’s spirit, and the accomplishment of
their family duty.

D

Ubud

espit e t he hu ge
numbers of tourists that visit the
island annually, in
many parts of Bali, the
local Hindu traditions
and culture are still well
preserved – especially
in Ubud.
The village is located
in the centre of Bali, and
is rich in culture, art and
natural beauty. Locals
still live their life simply
and in the old tradition.
Many of them work in the
rice fields, while others
are great artists, excellent in wood carving, gold
work, and painting.
As well as taking in
the arts and rural way
of life, visitors to Ubud
can visit the island’s most
important community
centres – its Balinese
temples. Also popular
destinations are Bali’s two
active volcanoes: Agung
and Batur. Alternatively, you might want to
experience the island’s
diverse habitats with a
trek through the jungle
and rice paddies, while a
mountain bike ride offers
a different glimpse of the
stunning terrain.
Located in the heart of
this paradise, The Westin
Ubud Resort & Spa (westin.com/ubud) will open
in early 2013. The resort
is situated in a secluded
mountain sanctuary on
the side of a valley in
Lodtunduh, overlooking
the tranquil Ayung river.

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whatsoever in connection with such product and services. **Please email Phuket_Sales@singaporeair.com.sg within 30 days of your ticket purchase to arrange for the collection of the giveaways.

thephuketnews.com

12 DANE’S WORLD

THE BIG LIST
Fashion faux pas
Are you already
kitted out in the
latest face-kini
and matching full
body suit? Well, you
probably should be
giving us fashion
tips, but here are
a few suggestions
that might interest
you anyway.
Breast dressed: Designer Rachel Friere sparked
controversy when she unveiled a dress at London
Fashion Week last year made from 3,000 yak and cow
nipples. The dress was called ‘Nippleocalypse’, which
critics quickly described as ‘sickening and repulsive’.
We prefer to call it titillating. The dress, intended to
highlight the level of animal waste from British tanneries, or something like that, included a bra made
from layers of protruding nipples, literally meaning
the men would have to get through nipples to get to
the nipples. Friere herself responded to the uproar,
saying: “To be called a fashion designer is odd. I am
an artist in wolf’s clothing.” Technically she’s an artist in yak’s nipple clothing.
Can it: The moment they invented cheese in a
spray-can, we predicted a future where everything
could be bought in spray-can form. That glorious
future has eluded us so far, but spray-on fabric may
just be a step in the right direction. Fabrican uses
a pressurised formula that, when sprayed from an
aerosol can, creates fibres that adhere to any surface
and bind to create a piece of non-woven fabric. So the
future is silly string? Well, it’s definitely pretty silly,
because as well as some pretty major possibilities for
genital rippage when you remove Fabrican, the whole
process of being sprayed is really a lot less convenient
than simply getting dressed.
Plastic fantastic: Are those
plastic nipples, or are you just excited to see me? “Beauty Nipple’
are plastic protrusions designed to
show off exactly how cold you are
beneath that sweater. They’re from
Japan, naturally, and have gone
from a mere fashion fad, to a feisty,
pheromone-infusing feature. According to the packaging, this Japanese product is a huge, super-fantastic,
nipple-stimulating hit in America.
Hose down: Don’t worry
gents, not all these fashion tips
are for the ladies, here’s one we
picked up down Bangla way the
other night. ‘Mantyhose’ are,
as the horrifying name might
suggest, pantyhose for men, the
latest in a string of men’s fashion trends straight from
the bizarre files. According to its website, “everyone,
from truck drivers to cowboys, are wearing them.”
We’re pretty sure there are only two cowboys in the
world wearing them, and they both roam out Brokeback Mountain way.
Port-a-loo: Nothing screams fashion like a giant,
smelly piece of porcelain that people take turns at
peeing into. And after all, the urinal dress really does
highlight those strong facial features. Rodnick Band’s
unique ensemble is apparently based on Marcel Duchamp’s avante garde work Fountain. The fashion
label’s website says: “It’s a walking urinal inspired
by Duchamp... with intense sequin and embroidery
work.” Since Duchamp’s work has a reputation for
other performance artists urinating into it, does that
mean other fashionistas get to do the same? Well,
anyway, most of us will never find out, because getting peed on doesn’t come cheap – each dress sells for
a cool US$2,500.

thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY,
2012
FRIDAY,AUGUST
AUGUST 31
31,, 2012

Chinese embrace
face-kini

W

hy be just another face
in the crowd on Phuket’s
beaches this high season,
when you can look like these
ravishing beauties?
And no, they’re not
masked vigilantes set on
eliminating seaside crime.
Behold the ‘face-kini’, the ultimate alternative to slathering on sunblock for the
moon-tanned among us.
The full head mask, often worn with
an accompanying body suit – because a
face mask with a bikini would be a fashion
crime – is the latest swimwear innovation
in the Chinese resort town of Qingdao.
The summer accessory is a must-have
for many Chinese women who prefer a
fair-skinned complexion over a suntan.
Of course, you could always just stay
indoors, which is exactly what we’d be doing if we had one of those things on our
face.
But on the plus side, at least no one will
be able to recognise you.
In Chinese culture, tanned skin has
traditionally been equated with doing

physical labor while pale skin indicates a
person of higher social status, which still
doesn’t really explain why these things look
so ridiculous.
As an added benefit, the masks are credited with protecting against insects and jellyfish.
Frankly, if you’re getting stung by insects
at the beach, you’re probably doing it wrong.

n expansive bed with
soft pillows, a flatscreen TV, a gym
and chef-crafted
meals – at New York’s
first luxury hotel for
dogs, opening in a few
weeks, nothing’s too good
for man’s best friend.
The 900-square-metre hotel in Manhattan’s
Chelsea neighborhood
aims to ensure “the
dog is getting the same
quality as a human being does,” explained one
of its three co-owners,
Shawn Hassanzadeh.
“As a New Yorker,
when you go on vacation,
and you stay in a fabulous hotel, with fabulous
services, your dog is
staying in a fabulous
hotel with fabulous ser-

vices,” he explained.
Only the two fanciest suites will offer
double beds – but even
the smaller “standard”
rooms will have televisions and, in some, DVD
players, in case the pet
parents want to bring a
special show or a compilation of family photos.
Also available, for
any vacationing canine
looking to stay in shape:
a gym, equipped with
personal trainers and
two treadmills.
Standard rooms will
cost US$79 (B2,400) a
day, while the luxury
suites will go for US$200
(B6,000). Extras range
from the US$15 walk,
to a US$9 room service
meal, and an US$80
“full treatment” at the
spa.

t’s a battle
we’ve all
experienced
on at least
one front – getting kids to eat
their greens.
But a new
super-weapon
has now been
developed by Scottish farmer which may just end
the war, according to mirror.co.uk – supersweet
broccoli.
The new variety, grown naturally, is said to be
more tender than its plainer, bitter cousin, with a
sweeter stalk so no part gets wasted.
Grower Iain Brown of Easter Grangemuir
Farm, near Pittenweem in Fife, told the news website: “Broccoli is one of the most nutritious foods
we can eat but sadly many youngsters don’t get the
taste for it until they are in their twenties.
“Not only is the variety sweeter but it is also
more tender with a lot of flavour, especially in the
stalk, offering shoppers the added benefit of no
waste as the entire broccoli head can now be enjoyed.”
Broccoli is packed with vitamin C to boost the
immune system, vitamin B for a healthy nervous
system, vitamin K to help blood to clot following
cuts and grazes and anitoxidants for healthy eyes.
Launched at Tesco, the new ‘Finest Supersweet
Broccoli’ went on sale last weekend at £1.50 (B75)
for 300g. There’s no news yet on whether Tesco will
bring the sugary green goodness to their Thailand
stores.
Nutritionist Juliette Kellow told mirror.co.uk:
“It’s a clever way of getting children to eat broccoli
and a step in the right direction.
“If the sugar occurs naturally then it’s no different to a child eating an apple or a banana.

t’s about a talking teddy bear and
a lifelong friendship, but a kids
movie this definitely ain’t.
Ted tells the story of Ted the
teddy, a bong-smoking, beerdrinking stuffed toy with a penchant for prostitutes, Norah Jones
and occasional bouts of extreme
and gratuitous violence.
It’s no surprise it comes straight
from the twisted mind of Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, which
should give you a pretty good idea of
where this film is headed.
The humour is about as subtle as a
sledgehammer, but MacFarlane wields
it like a drug-crazed madman, knocking down all barriers of appropriateness and common decency. In short,
it’s hilarious, and while definitely
not for kids, the juvenile minded
adults among us will definitely
get a kick.
It’s not all fart jokes and
throwaway obscenity though.
Ted has plenty of heart if
you’ve got the stomach to sit
through it. In his feature directorial debut, MacFarlane
successfully balances the
absurd components of the film

with a number of fairly weighty, if familiar, statements on love and friendship.
But even with the sweet moments,
this is a film that isn’t going to please
everyone, and audiences who aren’t
interested in watching a stuffed Teddy
Bear hump a grocery checkout stand
and snort cocaine with Flash Gordon
should probably look elsewhere.
It’s also not going to blow you away
with a compelling story. Indeed, if
you’ve seen any bromance film, you’re
probably pretty familiar with the central threads, and had the movie not
featured a sex-crazed talking stuffed
animal, Ted would be little more than a
formulaic and blatant comedy setups.
But, at the end of the day, it does star
a sex-crazed talking stuffed animal, and
despite solid performances from Mark
Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, Ted is the
true star of the show.
Watching the surprisingly lifelike
character perform even the most basic
actions (such as driving a car or engaging in a fistfight with a duck) never gets
old, lifting up even the formulaic elements with their utter absurdity.
If you’re already into the type of offcentre world that MacFarlane’s conjured
up before, you’ll enjoy seeing that world
fleshed out and made
surprisingly cuddly.
But definitely leave
the kids at
home.

ritish director Tony
Scott had at least a
dozen film projects
on his to-do list.
But with the filmmaker’s untimely death
last week, he unfortunately won’t get to play
his part in the making
of the following features.

Top Gun 2
Scott had been working
tirelessly on a sequel
to Top Gun for the past
year and a half.
Scott was very enthusiastic about the project,
which was to focus on
the world of drones in
modern aerial combat.
Scott was a lock to
direct the picture, and
had courted Tom Cruise
and Val Kilmer into reprising their roles from
the earlier films. It’s not
clear what the future of
the project will be at this
stage.
Lucky Strike
This thriller would’ve
potentially teamed Mark
Wahlberg and Vince
Vaughan as a DEA
agent and drug-dealer,
respectively, who are
forced to team up.
Narco-Sub
With his Crimson Tide
still standing as one of
the better submarine

The Wild Bunch
Scott had seemingly
grown more and more
interested in rebooting
the classics in recent
years. He has been intermittingly involved
in a remake of Walter
Hill’s The Warriors, but
in more recent times had
expressed interest in redoing Sam Peckinpah’s
classic western.
24 : The Movie
Scott had expressed interest in bringing Jack
Bauer to the big screen,
but when the studio
pushed the start date
back, the filmmaker
seemingly went on to
work on other things.
Hell’s Angels
A biker thriller, about
the war between two rival gangs – one of whom
was the titular group,
was high-up on Scott’s
to-do list.
It’s said that Scott
was waiting for Jeff
Bridges to find some
time in his schedule to
play Hells Angels ringleader Sonny Barger.

As some movies and movie times
change every Thursday morning,
after The Phuket News has gone to
press, the accuracy of the following
information cannot be guaranteed.
For up-to-date information, visit
sfcinemacity.com, or call the
cinemas directly: SFX Coliseum Phuket 076-209000 and SFC Jungceylon
Phuket 076-600-555.

25 YEARS OF SUCCESS
Launched in 1987 when its first hotel opened for business,
Laguna Phuket celebrated a quarter century of achievement
with a spectacular gala dinner on Friday (August 24), where
Laguna Phuket founder Ho Kwon Ping, left, revealed that
one of Asia’s finest destination resorts, with a unique and
internationally-recognised ‘Laguna Lifestyle’ enjoyed by
guests and residents, was to mark the major landmark by
creating a new local residential community within the complex, consisting of condominiums, shops and a water park.

FAMILY FUN AT LAGUNA
This year’s Laguna Phuket’s Summer Family Festival, with an extended range of activities throughout its nine-week run, has been
given the thumbs-up by hotel guests and local residents alike.
Centered on Canal Village with afternoon Kidz Zone adventures
and a Beer Tent hosting nightly entertainment, the Summer Family
Festival offered attractions ranging from Zumba and Flying Trapeze
lessons, to shows by Palazzo entertainers and Art Adventure classes.
Action-packed theme parties showcasing local kids’ bands Legends of Siam and The Screaming Hypocrites, as well as local rocker
Colin “Illy” Hill and his band, also drew the crowds to Canal Village.

SEEKING
SOME
RELIEF
After a day of taking
part of listening
to debate over
business and the
environment, in
a seminar jointly
organised by the
American Chamber
of Commerce,
Greater Phuket, and
local NGO Seek,
parched throats
were ready for the
after-event mixer.

Photographer Brent Madison and Nick Anthony of Seek.

Anthony Lark of Trisara and Dr Robert Mather of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

FISHY FUN
The Phuket Seafood
Fiesta 2012 was held
at Jungceylon in
Patong last weekend.
Highlights include a
trainee chef cooking
competition on
Saturday, followed
by a towel folding
competition and a
“classic” bartender
competition. Sunday
saw a DIY cooking
competition at 3pm,
followed by a “flair”
bartender competition,
and the Thailand
Champion Bartender
Show. The Phuket News
and Live 89.5 were
event media sponsors.

HOGGING THE LIMELIGHT
The McEwin clan, owners of the Hog’s Breath Café, Saloon and Grill celebrated
their move to Patong Promenade, on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, with an open
house for friends last Friday night (August 24). From left, Thiti Pattanajinda,
manager of the Promenade, Australian Honorary Consul Larry Cunningham,
Yong, Chloe, James, Ian and Robyn McEwin, and manager Steve Harris.

thephuketnews.com

16 ENTERTAINMENT

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY,
2012
FRIDAY,AUGUST
AUGUST 31
31,, 2012

British
press torn
on naked
Harry snaps
Agence France-Presse

B

Phuket’s not-sosecret beach bash

T

hree top Phuket DJs will headline the first ever
FistPump Secret Beach Bash party tomorrow
night (September 1), to be held at the Secret
Cove at Ao Yon, Cape Panwa.
DJ Mikito, DJ Kensho and DJ D[r]eadmongey
will perform at the event, which organiser Daz
Smith says will hopefully fill a gap in Phuket’s
entertainment industry.
Daz, originally from Yorkshire in England, says the idea
stemmed from wanting great parties with great music to
attend himself.
A bar owner for eight years in the UK, Daz has worked
in hospitality since 2000, and has been in Phuket for the
last two years.
“The Secret Cove is a real gem of a place, and this is
something that people aren’t doing in Phuket.
“It will be nice and relaxed early on, and hopefully the
night will build later.
“The most important element is to have fun.”
The event begins at 5pm with a barbecue, followed by
the DJs starting once it gets dark. In addition to the DJs,
there will be fitness dancers from Zumba Phuket, and “hot

chilli” girls. “FistPump is set to become a club brand that
will be synonymous for fabulous parties known for being
flirty, sexy, fun and of course for fistpumping to the best
beats around,” says Daz.
He adds that it was important to keep the drink prices
reasonable, with beers priced around B80 and spirit mixes
and wine B150.
“We don’t want to rip people off. I don’t want to go to a
party where everything is overpriced. If the beers are B200
plus, I’m going to think twice about going.”
The name Fistpump is “tongue and cheek” says Daz,
but originates from the action of punching your fist in the
air in time to the music, his signature dance move.
There’s also no need to feel guilty while downing a few
drinks, as a minimum of 5 per cent of all bar and ticket
sales go to the Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation.
Prepare to put your hands up in the air.
For tickets, contact Daz Smith at daz.smith@live.com or
call 082 285 0035 (English), or 089 222 6197 (Thai). Advance tickets are B400 including two free drinks, or by registering for the guestlist. Otherwise they’re B500 on the door.
For more information, visit facebook.com/FistPumpFans

DJ Mikito

DJ D[r]eadmongey

DJ Kensho

D J M i k it o ,
also known as
Phuket-based
Briton Mike
Edwards, is
the owner of
the infamous
Casa Sol in
Ibiza, Spain,
where legendary after parties for clubs such as Amnesia, Space, Cocoon, Dirty Diamond,
Luv Dup and Pacha have taken place.
Over his 12 years in Ibiza, his deejaying talent took him to prestigious
clubs, while producing music and playing with the likes of Sasha, Deep Dish,
Judge Jules, Carl Cox, Jeremy Healy,
Bushwacker and Eddie Halliwell.
He has has to date produced and
remixed a total of 35 records, and his
style varies between house, trance,
breakbeat and techno. Collaborating
with Smithmonger, he had great success with Me Be She Be, which reached
number 3 in the UK dance charts.

D[r]eadmongey, also known
as Jichet
“Mong” Lorprasertchai,
was raised in
Phuket.
His passion for house
music began
when he was working in a music shop
in Bangkok, and be became a DJ in
mid-2004. Two years later, he decided
to move back to his hometown Phuket
and worked for record and DJ store Real
Sound Thailand.
In 2006 he joined with DJ Eddy
[skt] and they called themselves the
Sarkastik Boys. Later, at the start of
2007, he joined up with three friends
(DJ Taz, DJ Q and DJ Jin) to form the
Phuket House Mafia. They have been
building the name ever since.
Mong’s energetic personality is
reflected in his music: electrotek and
phuture funk.

Or ig inally
from London,
UK, Kensho
aka DJK is a
DJ, producer,
artist and record fanatic in
high demand
for his production, v isua l
shows and DJ skills.
Over the course of a night the music
can include hip hop, funk and soul, nu
jazz, dub-step, Latin, ska, disco, retro
grooves, house, electronica, break beats
and lots more depending on the venue,
crowd and vibe.
With 18 years deejaying experience
behind him, he has performed alongside
DJ Cut Killer, Kid Massive, Barry Ashworth (Dub Pistols ), DJ Zink, DJ Octo,
DJ Diamond and many more.
After a promising DJ and production career start up, he left London and
established himself in Asia, settling in
sunny Phuket in 2006.

thephuketnews.com

ritain’s press thrashed
out on Saturday whether
The Sun newspaper had
done the right thing by
eventually publishing pictures of a naked Prince Harry cavorting with similarlyclad women in Las Vegas.
Rupert Murdoch’s flagship
British tabloid broke ranks
with other UK papers Friday
in printing the two images,
saying it was striking a blow
for press freedom.
Britain’s top-selling newspaper said it was ludicrous
that they should not be seen
on UK news stands when millions had already seen them
online and in foreign publications, including just across the
border in the Irish Republic.
No other British newspapers have run the pictures of
the 27-year-old army helicopter pilot, who is third in line
to the throne. Some nonetheless defended The Sun’s right
to do so, while others insisted
there was no justification for
printing them.
Industry figures say the
wider British media did not
run them due to fears that
the phone-hacking scandal at
Murdoch’s now-defunct News
of the World will spark tougher regulation of the press.
The scandal, which saw
Murdoch close the 168-yearold tabloid in July last year,
sparked an inquiry led by
judge Brian Leveson, who is
due to make recommendations
on the future of press regulation by the end of the year.
The Guardian said the
only reasonable publication
test was not entertainment or
sales but an agreed concept of
the public interest.
“The argument that the
material is already in the public domain is a strong one –
but also dangerous. Taken to
its logical extremes, it means
Britain abandons any kind
of ethical, regulatory or legal
framework,” it said.
“The stage is thus set for
a balancing of two human
rights – freedom of expression
versus privacy. On the facts
of this particular case it is a
fine balance. The Times, a
Murdoch-owned paper, said
newspapers should be allowed
to judge what is fit to print.
It said Britons were “almost equally divided between
those outraged by what they
see as a gross invasion of privacy... and those who accept
that the boisterous antics of
Prince Hal... are as risible as
they are inconsequential.”

ENTERTAINMENT 17

THE
PHUKET
NEWS31, 2012
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
FRIDAY,
AUGUST

Teacher
faces the
music
Claire Connell
editor1@thephuketnews.com

“Singing is down to
risk taking and confidence, trying something new with your
voice. It’s about pushing yourself further,
then you can find what
you’re really able to
do. With teaching, I
like that every day is
different and presents new challenges.
When you’re working
with the students they
can teach you new
things also. I push
my students to get
results, but I’ll praise
them when they work
hard and make breakthroughs”

C

anadian musician Siobhan McGovern is launching
her own music school after spending the last four
years on the island working as a music teacher.
It’s a dream come true for the talented violin
player and singer, who will officially open her new
school ‘Siobhan’s Music Studio’ tomorrow (September
1) by holding auditions for those wishing to be involved in her vocal and music groups.
Siobhan, originally from Ottawa in Canada, worked
abroad in Hong Kong, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Bangkok
before arriving in Phuket initially on a six month music
contract.
But that was as the 2008 recession hit, and she soon
found her contract cut short.
Without a job, but still determined to stay on the island,
a friend put her in touch with the head of arts at British International School (BIS) and she was employed as their violin
and voice teacher.
“When the idea came to me [for starting my own school]
I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before. I’m so excited,
and it feels so right. It’s the next step for me.
“I want that freedom to be able to teach how I want to. I
like parent interaction with the young kids, and creativity.”
Siobhan’s Music Studio will offer lessons in voice, violin,
piano, guitar and theory for both children and adults.
Additionally, there will be lessons in song writing, music
technology (using programmes such as GarageBand) and an
“intro to jazz” option available for all different musicians.
Siobhan has a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz studies
as well as a Licentiate in Music Teaching from Rockschool
UK, which means she is qualified to teach private lessons in
music. Joining Siobhan from the United Kingdom is accomplished pianist, musician, and music teacher Matthew Jolley.

Like many other musicians, Siobhan discovered her talent at
a young age. However, despite coming from a musical family
(her father is a retired music teacher and her mother is an
actress and singer), Siobhan says her father was initially reluctant to get her enrolled in lessons.
At age five she was one of the “village kids” in a production of musical Fiddler on the Roof, where she became obsessed with the violin. “I harassed Dad for a year to give me
lessons. After that I guess he thought, “she’s serious”.
The singing came much later, at her arts high school
when she joined the vocal programme, and later went to on to
complete her bachelor’s degree in music.
“Singing is down to risk taking and confidence, trying
something new with your voice. It’s about pushing yourself
further, then you can find what you’re really able to do.
“With teaching, I like that every day is different and presents new challenges. When you’re working with the students
they can teach you new things also.
“I push my students to get results, but I’ll praise them
when they work hard and make breakthroughs.”
In her spare time she listens to a vast range of music and
artists.
“I really like songs that have good lyrics and interesting
chord progression – something different from your popular four chords. I really like singer/songwriter, soul, funk,
R&B,and indie music.”
Among her favourites are Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Jason
Mrez, Ani Di Franco, Welsh alternative rock band The Joy
Formidable, and New Orleans group, Trombone Shorty and
Orleans Avenue.
For more information visit musiclessonsphuket.com or call
086 951 7409. Siobhan’s Music Studio is located in Boat Lagoon, Koh Kaew.

The Westin Siray Bay, Phuket hosts the exclusive
Wine List of the Year Thailand Awards dinner

57 hours of non
- Stop fishing!

Saturday October 13th, 2012
A five course menu, top class wines, light
entertainment, silent auctions and a ticket to
witness Thailand's winning hospitality
establishments.
Space is limited,
book it today!

the door. For more info call 091 034 3381
or info@underwood-phuket.com.

SEPTEMBER 1-28

tertained by a wide variety of sports on our
big screen. The cost is B380 per person.
It is B650 for two persons. Prices subject
to 10% service charge and 7% applicable
government tax. For reservations, please
contact DiVine restaurant. Call 076 336
000, www.thanyapura.com.

SEPTEMBER 8

New Exhibit - Gomez Bueno
California Surfing -Opening reception
August 18 at 7pm Original art work by
international artist Bueno Gomez. The
Spaniard continues his run in Asia. Gomez has been living in Los Angeles since
1988. He has become a well -known and
celebrated artist, with a passion for love of
the underground, graffiti and protest. His
work has been displayed in galleries in Los
Angeles, New York and Spain. Contact
Mom Tri’s VR Gallery in Kata Noi, 076 333
568, www.momtriphuket.com.

SEPTEMBER 1

OCTOBER 15-23
Pizza & Pasta Feast

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Back again for your dining pleasure! All
you can eat Pizza and Pasta served hot
from the stove DiVine style. Enjoy a la
minute cooked on order of Pizza, Pasta
and Salad. The cost is B550 per person
for food only. It is B650 per person with
one glass of Italian wine. Food with free
flow of Italian wine is B850 per person.
Monday - Friday at 5pm - 9pm. For reservations, please contact DiVine Restaurant
call 076 336 000.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an
annual event held during the ninth lunar
month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and
its accompanying sacred rituals bestow
good fortune upon those who religiously
observe this rite.

SEPTEMBER 1-30

thephuketnews.com

IBAP Networking Party 2012
The IBAP Business Fair 2012 will host its
networking party at Famous Nightclub,
in Jungceylon, Patong, on September 8,
2012 from 7pm onwards. Great shows,
good food and two complimentary drinks
are included in the tickets. A night not to
be missed, organized by Events Thailand
and IBAP. Contact Jorge 089 725 6994.

The Lost Legends at
Underwood Phuket
Join Phuket’s own Colin “illy” Hill, Jim
Newport, aka Jimmy Fame, and the wonderful Pjae Stanley—yes, they ARE the
Lost Legends of Phuket, for a night of food,
fun and terrific music. The fun starts at
8pm. B900 buys you the entertainment, a
delicious menu and a free drink. Tickets
available at phuketticketmaster.com or at

an excellent chance to learn with a truly
inspiring and experienced yoga instructor
and meditation teacher. Single room/twin
share room B6,500 per person. Please
contact us at: retreats@newlifethaifoun
dation.com.

SEPTEMBER 19 - 23
A Mindful Weekend
Yoga Retreat
Wine & Cheese Pairing
Time for a wine and cheese boost. Relax
with a glass of wine from our extensive
cellar and a cheese platter while being en-

New Life Foundation in Chiang Rai is
pleased to announce a four-day retreat in
September with our friend Kim Roberts
on our beautiful sustainable farm. This is

During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day
vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes
of spiritual cleansing and merit-making.
Sacred rituals are performed at various
Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted
over hot coals and ascending ladders with
bladed rungs are performed by entranced
devotees known as “Ma Song”.

THE
PHUKET
NEWS31, 2012
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012List your event for FREE at thephuketnews.com/events.php
FRIDAY,
AUGUST

Summer Promotions!
Best mini golf in Phuket! Phuket Adventure
Mini Golf – fun for everyone! A challenging
18 holes miniature classic championship golf
course surrounded by palm trees, stones,
water, bamboo and bushes. Designed and
built together with Scandinavian Adventure
Golf. Whether living close by or here on a
fabulous holiday, this is the place for the
whole family, friends and couples to enjoy
at all times. Contact 076 314 345, 080 147
2468, www.phuketadventuremi nigolf.com.

FRIDAYS

There is parking on site, cool breezes and a beautiful view.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
from 8.00am 7 days per week.
Tel: 090 890 8993 email: amandaleehay@bigbond.com

SUNDAYS

.

MONDAYS

THURSDAYS
AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM
All meetings are one hour long and held
in English at The Green Man Pub, one km
from Chalong circle. Please contact 081
895 4763.

Two Chefs Surf Night
Come Hear the Loving Words
of Jesus
At The Seed Church in Cherngtalay. Enjoy
a great fellowship, practical preaching,
contemporary music and free snacks in
one of the fastest growing churches in
Thailand! English services every Sunday
at 2pm in Cherngtalay. Visit our website for
directions or call for more information. See
www.seedchurchthailand.com. Call 098
764 5353, 084 056 7027, 081 891 2503.

Two Chefs Saturday Brunch
At Two Chefs Kata Centre. Every Saturday
12pm-3pm, you can enjoy a big delicious
buffet with a touch of Scandinavia, and
listen to our live music. For example: Our
home-smoked salmon, smoked prawns,
Swedish meatballs, roasted porkloin,
home-made bread, delicious desserts and
much more.

At Two Chefs Kata Beach. Every Monday
from 6pm-12am. You can enjoy our big
BBQ Buffet with Blackened red snapper,
beef burgers, Chicken Fajitas, Tacos, Chimi-Churri marinated chicken, desserts from
our bakery and much more. One member
from our house band will sing pleasant
music during the night. Only B495. See
www.twochefs.com, 076 284 155, kata@
twochefs.com.

Surin Beach Just Got Better
Sea Breeze has joined forces with The
Burger Bar and Beach Club to bring you
not only superb Thai cuisine in a beach
front setting but also an excellent range of
gourmet 100% Australian beef burgers. To
celebrate we are offering up to two free kids
meals with any two full paying adults. Look
for the voucher inside this paper. Live sport
every day including our 100” HD screen.

Kick back and enjoy a lazy Sunday breakfast at Paresa with jazz music, free flow
sparkling wine and stunning selection of
breakfast dishes. Spend the rest of the
day at Paresa’s Infinity Pool or Beach Club.
B600++ per person. Every Sunday 9am to
noon. Call 076 302 000.

At Two Chefs Karon 6pm-1am. Every
Wednesday you can enjoy Phuket’s best
Mexican food. Chili con carne, Mexican
rice, Mexican springrolls, nachos, pork fillet
skewers, salmon quesadillas, grilled corn
cob, desserts from our bakery and much
more. Our house band will be here to play
live music. B495 or B795 include free flow
Chang draught and Sangria. See www.
twochefs.com, call 076 286 479, karon@
twochefs.com.

Traditional home cooked food, also special
club membership for expats entitling members to discounts on food and drink. Ask
Jamie for details. All NRL and AFL games
shown live on big screen. Sugar Reef opposite Tescos Cherngtalay.

daily event
updates on

thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS

20 TIME OUT

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

KNOW WHERE THIS IS? GUESS RIGHT AND WIN!

GERRY’S

editor@thephuketnews.com
thephuketnews.com/
login-game-view.php

view

THIS WEEK’S HINT:

“What does a Vishnu statue, tin ingot, prehistoric brass drum, old map of Junk Ceylon, displays of a Burmese invasion and ladies Chan
and Mook have in common?
“For one thing, they are all housed in one
of this island’s more interesting museums
located on the mid-eastern side of the island
within a good stone’s throw of one of the island’s most famous statues. The 100 baht entrance fee is money well spent for any archaeological buffs and families looking to entertain
whilst educating their children.”

–Gerry Cummings

EMAIL US
ENTER ONLINE

www.photohutgroup.com

editor@thephuketnews.com
thephuketnews.com/
login-game-view.php

GUESS THE CORRECT
LOCATION AND WIN A
B500 GIFT VOUCHER
FROM PHOTO HUT

Congratulations go to mitrari and Rob D., who both
correctly guessed that last week’s photo was of the
the Patong Muang Thai stadium beside Jung Ceylon
shopping centre on Phang Muang Sai Kor Road.

1. Which movie star was born with the name Issur
Danielovitch Demsky?
2. Who did Howard Hughes describe thus: ‘His ears
made him look like a taxicab with both doors
open’?
3. Which element has the chemical symbol Hg?
4. What is the capital of Newfoundland?
5. Jeanine Deckers, the Singing Nun, died in 1985.
From what?
Answers at the foot of the page.

good salary and commission. Please send your CV
to pandhaj@paulropp.com.

Sales & Marketing
Manag er: We are
looking for:
*Thai individual who
possesses experience
in sales and marketing
or as a sales/marketing
manager.
*This individual must
be very responsible, and
must be able to lead a
team.
*Can converse in English (speak /read/write)
with ease, and can work
with different types of media.
*Has strong computer
skills, (Microsoft Office,
Photoshop etc).
*Is outgoing, comfortable with people, clean
and presentable to the
public.
* Have good soc ial
connections around
Phuket.
Duties include taking
care of new marketing
projects, recruiting sales,
attending PR functions,
maintaining monthly budgets and reports, as well
as business proposals.
Must be willing to learn
about all aspects of the
Two Chefs company and
services.
Please apply by email:
billy@twochefs.com.

Graphic Designer
wanted: S PI K EM E-

Content Writer
Needed: We are Media

DIA is a creative media
agency based in Phuket
working for a variety of
national and international
clients. We are seeking
full-time Graphic Designers to work on a diverse
range of print and web
design projects. Salary
depending on experience
and talent level. Please
send CV ’s and some
samples of work to: info@
spikemediagroup.com.

and Marketing company
who require a content
writer for various websites covering different
topics. Subject matter
will vary so the ability to
research is also necessar y. Topics could be
as diverse as Search
Engine Optimisation to
Anger Management, so
good research skills will
also be necessary. The
successful candidate will
have excellent command
of English spelling and
grammar. Send CV to
info@spikemediagroup.
com.

Immediate Primary
EP Vacancy: We are
looking to appoint a qualif ied teacher to star t at
PPAO Ban Maireab School
in Kathu as soon as possible. Applicants must have
a minimum of a Bachelor’s
degree and a TEFL certificate. 087 815 3518.

Sales and Admin Assistant: We are looking
for a passionate sales perClass Act Media is Phuket's leading media company - publishing
The Phuket News , Phuket's leading weekly English Newspaper
and broadcasting Live 89.5 – Phuket's premier English radio
station. Class Act Media also has other publications and a host of
other products in Phuket and Samui.

YOUR FREIGHT CONNECTION
WITH THE WORLD PREMIER FREIGHT AND REMOVALIST
COMPANY IN PHUKET
ONE OF OUR VALUED STAFF IS RELOCATING TO BANGKOK
SO WE HAVE AN IMMEDIATE VACANCY FOR CUSTOMER
SERVICE / OPERATIONS / SALES ALL ROUNDER
-

VERY GOOD ENGLISH SPEAKER.............ESSENTIAL
HIGH QUALITY COMPUTER SKILLS.........ESSENTIAL
THAI NATIONALITY....................................ESSENTIAL
DRIVING LICENSE...................................PREFERRED
KNOWLEDGE OF WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS... GREAT
BUT NOT ESSENTIAL AS WE WILL FULLY TRAIN

COME JOIN OUR HAPPY TEAM
AND BE WELL REWARDED
APPLICATIONS BY EMAIL PLEASE, ADDRESSED TO....
pusco@loxinfo.co.th
CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR OFFICE LOCATION
AND SCOPE OF BUSINESS
www.phukettransport.com 076238824-6
APPLICATIONS CLOSE 7/9/12

thephuketnews.com

Due to recent expansions we are seeking the following position

Sales Manager
Thai or Foreigner (Located in Phuket)
Responsibilities :
- Managing the sales team (including responsibility for recruitment
of new sales staff when needed)
- Weekly & monthly sales budget meetings and reporting
- Developing and following up new sales leads
- Reaching own personal sales targets and responsibility for
reaching team targets
We offer:
- Competitive salary, bonuses and travel expenses
- Friendly work environment
- Social security (10%) paid by the company
- Excellent career progress opportunity
***The company may offer accommodation plus local transportation costs to
successful candidates.***

Interested candidates are invited to send application with full resume in
English indicating qualifications, experience, expected salary with recent
photo via email to adminmgr@the phuketnews.com

Please email full resume in English
indicating expected salary with recent photo to

adminmgr@thephuketnews.com
or call 076 612 550-2 for more info.

Class Act Media is Phuket's leading media company,
publishing The Phuket News, Phuket's leading weekly
English Newspaper, and broadcasting Live 89.5, Phuket's
premier English radio station.
Due to recent expansions we are seeking the following
position:

Qualifications:
University degree in Journalism or similar
 Three years’ editorial experience. Online editing
experience preferable.
 A keen eye for detail, an inexhaustible passion for
words and innate feel for the English language
 Passion for sport an advantage but not essential


Two Native English Teachers: For
t wo - five+ year old
pre-school children.
For more information
call, text or email to
+6 6(0) 82 812 3610,
email turnery5@gmail.
com.

Diamond Beach Club is scheduled to open November 2012
at the exclusive northern end of Surin Beach, Phuket. We
seek a creative individual with minimum 5 years experience
in a similar role and past or current experience in a Thai
working environment. Candidates will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

Accountants/
Bookkeepers: Experienced Thai staff for
immediate openings.
English, written and verbal, are essential. Salary
based on qualifications.
Email resume to hr@
freshgardenfarms.com.

HEAD CHEF
(Pre-opening)
• Have a solid understanding of kitchen

design and functionality.
• Hire a team of cooks, commis, stewards etc.
• Design a menu consistent with the
establishment’s innovative theme.

(Operations)
• Train the team to exacting and consistent
standards.
• Possess excellent communication skills.
• Form strong relationships with both front
and back of house teams.
• Adapt to changes and interpret the
direction of the establishment from the
owners and management.
• Be creative.

living in Thailand for one year
or more. Get the most out
of your stay here by learning Thai for 200 hrs. and
get a VISA for FREE. Contact person: Khun Jirancha
Khongsuk. 9/4 Moo 6 Wichitsongkram Road, Kathu,
Kathu, Phuket 83120 Thailand. 076 323 201, 084 304
6521, 081 417 0478. Email:
khroojee@gmail.com, www.
visathaiphuket.com.

Natural Mountain
Stone: Original from an-

Russian Language
for Your Kids: Are your

cient time. Shaped by expert
craftsman. Unique with its
texture and colors. Harmony with traditional and
contemporary. Commit to
best and always available to
our valued customers. Call
+66 (08) 1719 6930. Email:
info@maxxnova.com

CLUBS &
MEMBERSHIPS
SK A L I nt e r na t i onal
Phuket: Skål is a professional organisation of lead-

Phuket Cooking
Academy: Offers many
cooking and baking classes
in our top-class professional
facilities. Come to learn how
to cook with our professional chefs and discover the
art of bakery, and Thai and
European cuisines. Open to
all from the age of 12 years
old and without any prior
cooking experience. For
more info visit us at: www.
phuket-cooking-academy.
com or call 081 821 40 64.

ly-qualified female personal
trainer from the UK. With
guaranteed results and over
10 years of experience in
men and women’s health and
fitness. Pre- and post-natal
exercise. Nutrition and weight
management. For a free consultation. Contact Sarah on
084 985 8161, email: sarah@
one2one-fitness.net.

Loft Style Flats: Central
location with easy access to
main roads, near Bang Wat
dam Country Park in the middle of the island. The area is
quiet, minimal traffic, great
walking and running around
the dam. Call 086 664 5575.
Kata Beach For Rent:

tiful hilltop land near Mission
Hills golf club, was 4.2million
baht per rai now drastically
reduced to *B3.2 million per
rai* for very quick sale. Full
chanote, water/electric, office, sea/mountain views.
Call 087 978 5804(Eng),
stanjsmith25@yahoo.com

Mission Heights
Residence

Designed specially for families, the Mission Heights
Residence offer very spacious 540 sqm houses, all
with 12 metre long swimming pool, 4 bedrooms,
5 bathrooms, guest bungalow, maid quarter and
a nice garden in a very
secure, children friendly
environment only couple
of minutes from Phuket
International Academy.

Located only 10 minutes from airport, Grand
Ao Por Marina, new Tesco
Shopping center, 2 golf
courses, Naiyang Beach,
Thanyapura Sport & Leisure Center and international school, the Mission
Heights Residence is a
perfect place to live for
families without traffic in a
very peaceful, secure and
natural surrounding.

After a great success of
the first phase, the Sunrise
Ocean Villas is now starting to build the 8 other villas of "Phase2". The price
of 17.9 million baht makes
the project one of the most
competitive on the island
for being only 60m from
the beach.
Each villa has a living
area of over 300 sqm, has
3 spacious bedrooms, all
sea views, 5 bathrooms, a
10x4m infinity pool, maid's
quar ter and a covered
2-car parking. The houses are specially designed
to guarantee complete
privacy, with an open panoramic view of the sea.

The Villas currently
under construction being
built to highest western
standard and are launched
at only 13.9 million Baht for
the first 3 houses. For appointment or more details
contact project director,
Khun Montha at 088 751
1750 or email mission_
heights@yahoo.com.

Come visit the villas and
you will be wonder fully
surprised by the quality
of the project as well as
the quality of life you can
find here.
For appointment or more
details, contact the project director Khun Montha
at 081 343 0777 (Thai,
English & German) Email:
thesunrisevillas@yahoo.
com.

www.thesunrisevillas.com

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS 21

List your advert for FREE at thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

PROPERTY IN PHUKET

Phuket Cottages

Near British International School,
luxury pool-villas starting from THB 8,800,000.
www.phuket-cottages.com

House in Phuket Town
/Samkong 3 bedroom,
3 bathrooms: Semi detached house with large 3
bedrooms, 3 bathrooms,
large open living/dinning area
and entertainment deck outside. Large western kitchen
with all appliances.
Great area very conveniently located 5 minutes from
all amenities including both international hospitals, Central
festival, International schools
and the centre of town. Selling
due to relocation.

Land for sale near Golf Course: Near British International School, 18 Rai with public road access. Suitable for
resort or housing project. Can be divided. Price B80,000,000.
Contact owner at 089 724 7211.
side land and Chanote title.
Call 085 793 2718.

Priced to sell at B4.3M including 4 air cons. and all modern
style furniture. Nothing more to spend. Contact (English): 084
768 0536 or (Thai): 085 888 0502.

400sq metre Beautiful Land for Sale: In Soi
Suksan, the land has views
of the Nai Harn and Rawai
mountains, and would be ideal
for a family home. Ready to
build. Quality western villas
on the same soi. Contact 089
973 1180.

Beach Front Plots:
Located opposite Yacht Haven Marina in a very peaceful,
natural environment. Ready
to build, electricity and water
on site, road and boat access. 2 Rai plots each with
60 metre of ocean frontage,
perfect for living as well as
investment. For sale direct
from owner, price only B12
million. Call 081 343 0777.

Villa Resort Style: Villa resort style six bedroom.
Located in peaceful area South
of Phuket, Rawai. This villa has
been designed and furnished
to the highest standards. Email
mintra99@gmail.com.

Starwood
to host Koh
Siray mini
marathon
MARATHON
STARWOOD HOTELS
and resorts is set to host
its inaugural charity mini
marathon on Koh Siray to
raise funds for Unicef and
local Phuket charities.
The race is expected
to draw in excess of 700
participants from all over
Phuket and will kick off
on Sunday, September 16
at 6.15am.
The mini marathon
route is 10.5 km in length
and will lead participants through the scenic
landscapes of Koh Siray,
while the charity walkers
will leisurely stroll a 5
km course.
The price for registration for the mini
marathon is B300 per
runner, and the charity
walk is priced at B250
per person. Prizes for
the winner include accommodation at all three
Starwood Phuket properties (The Naka Island, A
Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Le Meridien
Phuket Beach Resort and
The Westin Siray Bay
Resort & Spa).
Participants can also
take part in a lucky draw
for a chance to win over
60 prizes including accommodation at various Starwood properties
in Thailand, China and
Malaysia, portable DVD
players, adventure and
fitness packages, all of
which will be drawn on
the day.
Tickets are available
for purchase up until and
on the day of the event
for B100 each.
All runners and participants’ contribution
will go towards children’s
organisations UNICEF
for the ‘Check Out for
Children’ programme,
a life saving alliance
immunisation program
against the six major
childhood diseases for
children throughout the
world.
Funds will also support local Phuket charities such as the Good
Shepherd to contribute
to their school building
project for disadvantaged
children as well as the
Koh Siray School.
To register call 076
335 600. For more information, visit facebook.
com/starwoodminimarathon.phuket

PHUKET SPORT 23

Joy Dive fall flat as
Morning Star shine
FOOTBALL

C

ompetition is starting to
heat up in the Super Six
soccer league, with the
third round of play wrapping
up last week.
First off in the Division 1
matches was the highly anticipated clash between title
favorites Joy Dive FC and firstseason champions Morning Star.
Joy Dive FC, with their technical skill and fast-paced playing
style, were always going to be
a huge challenge for Morning
Star, who were looking to pick
themselves up after last week’s
weak performance.
Although at times outplayed
by Joy Dive, Morning Star
controlled the game and were
rewarded with a hard-fought
4-3 victory, putting them into
second place on the Division
1 table.
Next up were Division 1
new boys Sweet Lemon and
PSU Alumni.
Sweet Lemon showed us

Left: Thai Nee FC celebrate their first win. Right: Kyrre Amundsen in action for Shakers FC.
why they were champions of
last season’s Division 2, with
a deserved 5-3 win against the
university boys thanks to several swift goals by Atsadawut
Prateep Nathalang.
Next up were table-toppers
Shakers FC taking on The
Hulk. The Hulk were slightly
undermanned, but their skill
level make them a team never
to be underestimated.

Shakers, however, look
pretty solid this season, and
squeezed a 4-2 result from an
otherwise tight match with a
notable cannonball volley from
Ross Robinson.
The final game of the evening saw Nanai Boys looking
for their first win of the season
against Rugantino. Sure enough,
they succeeded, with a 5-3
victory thanks in part to an

outstanding performance by
Sunny Gulati.
Meanwhile, in Division 2
Thai Nee FC recorded their first
win of the season with a 6-5
victory against Pluto, who are
still without points. The game
saw an outstanding comeback
from James Gurnett’s Thai Nee
FC, who were initially down 5-1.
In other results, PSV lost
their winning momentum

Photos: Karl Ward

against the Seduction boys,
who recorded their first point
of the season in a 2-2 draw,
Mr Moo suffered their first
loss of the season going down
1-3 to Puensil FC, Vanilla FC
edged past Atmanjai 6-5, and
Babynoname’s struggles continues with a 2-5 loss to Pita
Bar Phuketeers.
For more Super Six action,
visit phuketfootball.com

SUPER SIX SOCCER
Division 1

Team

P

W

D

L Goals GD

1

Shakers FC

3

3

0

0

14

7

Pts

2

Morning Star

3

2

0

1

9

0

6

3

Nanai Boys

3

1

1

1

14

1

4

4

Joy Dive FC

2

1

0

1

9

3

3

5

Sweet Lemon FC

2

1

0

1

7

-1

3

6

PSU Alumni FC

3

1

0

2

11

-3

3

7

Ristorante Rugantino

3

1

0

2

9

-4

3

8

The Hulk

3

0

1

2

7

-3

1

Team

P

W

D

L Goals GD

1

Puensil FC

3

3

0

0

22

10

9

2

Pita Bar Phuketeers

3

3

0

0

17

7

9

3

Phuket Serenity Villas

3

2

1

0

15

7

7

4

Mr. Moo

3

2

0

1

15

7

6

5

Vanilla FC

3

2

0

1

13

2

6

6

Thai Nee FC

3

1

0

2

14

-7

3

7

Atmanjai

3

0

1

2

13

-5

1

8

Babynoname

3

0

1

2

11

-6

1

9

Seduction

3

0

1

2

5

-7

1

10

Pluto Italian Ice Cream

3

0

0

3

14

-8

0

9

Division 2

Pts

Thai Division 1
D

L

F

A

Pts

1

Team
Ratchaburi

MP W
24

18

4

2

59

19

58

2

Suphanburi

24

15

4

5

42

15

49

3

Sriracha

24

15

4

5

51

28

49

4

Bangkok United

24

15

4

5

39

25

49

5

PTT Rayong

24

14

4

6

51

23

46

6

Krabi

24

14

4

6

38

19

46

7

Siam Navy

24

9

9

6

36

28

36

8

Nakhon Ratchasima

24

10

4

10

26

32

34
33

9

Air Force United

24

9

6

9

31

30

10

Phuket

24

8

7

9

23

30

31

11

Khonkaen

24

8

5

11

26

34

29

12

Phattalung

24

6

9

9

25

35

27

13

Saraburi

24

7

5

12

30

37

26

14

Bangkok

24

6

7

11

42

38

25

15

Songkhla

24

7

4

13

27

36

25

16

Rangsit JW

24

5

6

13

24

46

21

17

Raj Pracha

24

3

6

15

20

41

15

18

Chanthaburi

24

0

2

22

15

89

2

thephuketnews.com

24 PHUKET SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

Final boarding call for Mekong
WATER SPORTS
Dane Halpin
editor2@thephuketnews.com

H

is board may have
been running a little
late, but Phuket resident Patrick Gasiglia is all
packed up and ready to tackle
the mighty Mekong River.
The intrepid Frenchman
departs tomorrow (September 1) on his quest to tackle
Southeast Asia’s larget river
on a standup paddle board
(SUP), and says he’s “half
excited, half anxious about
what I will find” on the churning body of water.
He’s carrying three boards
for the trip – two custom
made hybrid SUPs, and a
third, inflatable board to use
as a spare.
He has also received his
custom made paddle, designed
to allow swift interchange
between kayak and standup
paddle.
“I’m very happy with the
board. Because it’s a catamaran, it’s very fast and has
good stability.”
The board is twice as
heavy as a normal SUP, weighing in at around 25kgs, and

Phuket resident Patrick Gasiglia sets off tomorrow on his quest to tackle the Mekong.
while this makes it a little
heavier to turn and maneuvre, Patrick said the stability
provided by this weight will
make his task much easier.
“I’ve tried to capsize it,
and it’s really very difficult
to do. It’s a very stable board.

“The only thing I didn’t try
was catching waves. That’s
not really the board’s purpose,
but it will be interesting to see
how it works.”
Patrick has even tested out
the board’s weight carrying
ability by paddling around Nai

Harn with his wife and young
daughter on board.
And while he won’t be
taking them with him on his
journey, he added: “I think
stability is the main advantage
of this board, and being able to
carry a lot of stuff. The board

Photo: Dane Halpin
can probably take 100kg plus
the rider.”
But his preparation for the
arduous journey has been far
from ideal.
His board is the first that
SUP manufacturer Starboard
has moulded from plastic –

they usually use fibre. But
problems creating the customdesigned mould in New Zealand created some delays, as
did customs issues bringing
the mould into Thailand.
In all, the setbacks meant
Patrick’s board was about
two months late in arriving,
drastically cutting down his
ability to properly prepare
with his equipment.
Still, Patrick doesn’t seem
too phased, and is confident
he is ready to hit the rapids in
a few days’ time.
“I could not train on the
real board, but that’s been the
only real problem. The board
is much more stable [than the
one I’ve been training on], so
it’s very easy to adapt.”
The Frenchman leaves
from Phuket tomorrow to
make the drive north to Chiang
Khan, and will start paddling
on September 5 – “Five is my
lucky number.” He expects the
journey to take between two
and four weeks.
Patrick will update his blog
daily (conditions permitting)
while on his adventure. To
follow his progress, visit: supmekong1000.wordpress.com.
The Phuket News is a sponsor of Patrick’s journey.

Phuket found space down the left wing, but lacked the finishing touch. Photo: Dane Halpin

thephuketnews.com

PH U K ET FC’S TH R EE
match winning streak was
brought to an end on Sunday
(August 26) at Surakul Stadium
as the Islanders went down 0-1
to a 10-man Ratchaburi outfit.
The local side were outclassed for most of the match
by their league-leading opponents, but several missed
opportunities could have made
all the difference as both sides
struggled in the slippery conditions.
Ratchaburi applied early
pressure against a lethargic
Phuket defence, testing the
reflexes of new number one
goalkeeper Worapoj Sabaijit,
and sending a shot just over
the crossbar in the opening
minutes.
The lazy defence continued,
and Wuttipong Sittitanyakit
was shown an early yellow for
a heavy challenge on Ratchaburi’s Jang Gil-Hyeok.
For most of the first half,
it was Ratchaburi showing off
why they are currently number one in Yamaha League 1.
They shifted the ball around
much more comfortably on
the wet pitch, and were able to
show more control in the mid-

Ibrahim Kanoute in flight.
field where Phuket struggled.
Phuket, meanwhile, were off
target with their passing, and
never looked like putting together an organised attack.
For the most part, it was a
first half confined to midfield
play for both teams, and neither
goalkeepers were really tested.
Attapong Nooprom nearly
broke the deadlock on 40 minutes for Ratchaburi, sending a
low shot into the bottom right
corner, but a full stretch diving save from Phuket goalie
Worapoj pushed the ball wide.
The chance was the start of
a late-half onslaught on goal
by Ratchaburi, and the stubborn Islanders defence simply
couldn’t hold out, eventually
conceding a soft goal to Ratchaburi’s Brazilian midfielder
Douglas. Half time: Ratchaburi
1 – 0 Phuket.
Phuket had their first real

opportunity of the match just
minutes into the second half,
with Ibrahim Kanoute finding
himself in space down the
right wing. He crossed in to
the centre, but Watcharakorn
Klaitin was off target with
his shot, angling it high over
the bar.
As the Islanders finally
looked to have rediscovered
their short passing game, they
were handed a stroke of fortune: Ratchaburi’s Rattana
Petch-Aporn was shown his
second yellow of the match,
and the visitors were reduced
to 10 men.
The impact was almost
immediate as the Islanders
finally found some semblance
of rhythm in attack, finding
space in particular down the
left wing, which they attacked
repeatedly with the long ball.
Phuket had several opportunities to draw level, dramatically hitting the crossbar three
times, but lacked the finishing
prowess in difficult conditions.
Despite two late chances
moments before the final whistle, the Islanders were left to
rue the missed chances as the
0-1 half time score remained
unchanged.
Phuket FC host Nakhon
Ratchasima tomorrow (September 1) at Surakul Stadium,
kickoff 6.30pm.

t has the world’s highest percentage of amputees, yet Cambodia
is sending just one athlete to the
Paralympics, an event critics say
increasingly favours nations that can
afford the latest high tech gear.
Thin Seng Hon, who was born
without a fully formed right leg, will
be Cambodia’s sole representative in
London early next month when she
competes in the 100m and 200m
sprints in the below-the-knee amputee
category.
Her “lucky leg”, as she calls the
US$2,500 J-shaped running blade
which allows her to race, helped her
to three podium places at a regional
athletics meet last year.
But she doubts it will keep pace
with the higher-tech prosthetics of
her rivals in London.
“I don’t expect to win a medal,”
the 28-year-old said after a morning
training session at Phnom Penh’s rundown Olympic Stadium, explaining
her opponents will likely benefit from
“more modern prosthetics” costing
several times that of her own.
Living in a poor country already
puts her at a disadvantage – she trains
on a dirt track and balances running
with a full-time job at a souvenir shop
where she earns US$120 (B3,600) a
month.

But it is her artificial leg, paid
for by donations from friends, that
leaves her trailing rivals before the
competition even begins.
The prosthetic is not custom-built
for sprinting and is less comfortable
and shock absorbent than those owned
by her first world rivals, prompting her
coach Phay Sok to bemoan a technology gap pitting his protege against
those with the “best” prosthetics
“worth tens of thousands of dollars”.
Yet Thin Seng Hon is lucky to be
on the plane to London at all.
None of Cambodia’s disabled
athletes qualified for the Games,
leaving the nation’s hopes of glory
dependent on a wildcard entry, gifted
by the Paralympics’ governing body.
The single spot belies Cambodia’s
grim status as home to the most
amputees per capita anywhere in the
world, a statistic driven in part by
decades of unrest that have left the
small nation littered with landmines.
An estimated 25,000 people have
lost limbs to mines, according to
figures from charity the Halo Trust,
but successful demining schemes
have lowered the incident rate over
the last decade.
Now, like many other developing
countries, the majority of the nation’s disabled athletes are victims
of disease, traffic accidents and poor
medical care.
Cambodian sporting figures are
furious only one wildcard was offered and want more slots to offset

Thin Seng Hon, Cambodia’s only
Paralympian in 2012. Photo: AFP
a lack of funding, facilities and
technologically advanced equipment.
Cambodia’s humble representation
is put into perspective by the figures
which show some 4,200 athletes from
166 countries will be competing for
503 gold medals in what will be the
biggest Paralympic Games to date.
If poorer countries are not well
represented at the Games they will
fall into a spiral of sporting decline,
warned wheelchair racer Van Vun.
“If we can’t take part, we’ll never
know the ability of athletes from big
countries or learn from their training,”
he said after breezing by rivals in a
training race in a park in the capital.
The International Paralympic

Committee (IPC) says demand for
wildcards from the 166 competing
countries outstrips the spots available
in the different disciplines.
“We had thousands of wildcard
applications,” Craig Spence, the IPC’s
director of media and communications
said, adding the body handed out 61
wildcards to 50 mostly developing
nations.
“At the end of the day the Paralympic Games is an elite sporting event
and we want the best athletes in the
world to be competing.”
Acknowledging the widening
technology gap, Spence said the
IPC had regulations in place to “try
to ensure a level playing field” and
that the wildcard system – capped at
two per country – aimed to include
poorer nations.
Hundreds of athletes from developing nations will compete in London,
he added, noting that many among
them “will have just one, two or three
athletes” compared to Team GB for
example, which will have some 300
participants, and the more than 280
Chinese Paralympians.
Despite her long odds for a medal
finish, Thin Seng Hon is delighted
to be representing Cambodia and
hopes to at least beat her personal
best sprint times.
“I feel excited and I will try my
best because I’m the only athlete to
participate,” she said beaming. “They
(Cambodian officials) picked me over
all the others.”

LA NCE A R MSTRONG,
branded a drug cheat and
banned from cycling by the
US Anti-Doping Agency, can
still count on support from the
cancer community, the head
of the Union for International
Cancer Control said this week.
US cycling icon and cancer
survivor Armstrong is set to be
stripped of his seven Tour de
France titles after he gave up
the right to fight serious doping
claims by the US agency at an

independent hearing.
But Union for International
Cancer Control president Mary
Gospodarowicz said the “cancer community is behind him.”
Gospodarowicz was speaking at the opening of the World
Cancer Congress in Montreal.
Armstrong was scheduled to
speak at the conference on
Wednesday and “donations
to his foundation continue”
unabated, she said.
Armstrong’s Livestrong
campaign has so far collected
nearly US$500 million for
cancer research and helping
people cope with the disease.

ANDY RODDICK SAYS
he is ready to follow the pack
when it comes to financial
issues that have players pondering a boycott of next January’s Australian Open, but
he isn’t betting on it actually
happening.
The American 20th seed
advanced to the second round
of the US Open on Tuesday
with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory
over compatriot Rhyne Wil-

liams, then said he will back
whatever the players council
leadership decides.
Roddick has been quick to
point out the discrepancies in
payouts of 13 per cent of revenues from Grand Slam events
compared to US team sports
like the NBA, where players
last year were forced to settle
for a 50-50 revenue split.
“I’m on board with whatever the contemporaries come
up with,” Roddick said. “At
this point it’s the same old
song.”
“The ATP, the ITF (Inter-

national Tennis Federation),
powers that be, are betting
against us being able to unify
and they have been getting
away with that gamble for 25
years and we haven’t proved
them wrong yet.
“U2 doesn’t ask permission to go on tour. We ask
permission do a lot of things.”
Players await a proposal
from Grand Slam leaders
but hope for more money to
boost prize money for early
losers, helping those struggling the most to pay travel
and expenses.

25

IN BRIEF
Wallaby lock
Vickerman to
retire from game
Wallaby lock Dan Vickerman
has announced his retirement
from all forms of the game
after being sidelined with
injury for much of the year.
The Cape Town-born
33-year-old appeared 63
times for Australia, making
his debut against France in
2002 after switching allegiance from South Africa,
who he represented at the
under-19 level.
His last Test was against
New Zealand in the 2011
World Cup semi-finals before
a stress fracture in his right
tibia cut his career short.

IPL loses title
sponsor DLF
The Indian Premier League
has lost its title sponsor after
real estate giant DLF declined to renew its five-year
deal, a company spokesman
said on Tuesday.
“We have just stepped
off the IPL,” DLF group
executive director Rajeev
Talwar told the Press Trust
of India.
DLF reportedly paid
US$50 million (B1.5 billion) to be the title sponsor of
the glitzy Twenty20 league
for the first five years, a
deal which ended with the
2012 edition in March-April.

QPR boss Hughes
confirms Cesar
deal is close
QPR manager Mark
Hughes has revealed his
Premier League club are
close to completing the surprise signing of Inter Milan
goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Cesar helped Italian giants Inter win the Champions
League in 2010, but Hughes
appears to have persuaded
the Brazil international to
swap the San Siro for Loftus
Road.
After Robert Green, a
pre-season signing from
West Ham, made a rocky
st ar t to the campaig n,
Hughes moved for Cesar,
who was at the west London
club on Tuesday to discuss
terms.

thephuketnews.com

26 WORLD SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS

PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS: ROUND 2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

THIS YEAR’S GRAND PRIZE
IS SPONSORED BY:

Van Persie scores first as
Man United beat Fulham
FOOTBALL

T

he second weekend of
Premier League action
kicked off with surprise
packet Swansea City backing up
their opening day form (5-0 win
over Norwich City) by beating
West Ham United 3-0 at home.
Angel Rangel and Michu
were the lucky recipients of
defensive errors by the Hammers
before Danny Graham wrapped
things up as they kicked off life
under Michael Laudrup with
two wins from two.
Manchester United meanwhile got their first victory of the
campaign with a hard-fought 3-2
home result against an unlucky
Fulham side.
The Cottagers scored first
through Damien Duff before
Robin van Persie opened his
United account with a fabulous
finish in the 10th minute.
Fellow new boy Shinji
Kagawa added a second in the
35th minute before Rafael gave
the home side the ascendency
before half-time.
Fulham hit back when Ne-

Robin van Persie scores his first goal for Manchester United.
manja Vidic saw the ball into
the back of his own net and the
visitors pressed for a leveller
only to be denied on a number
of occasions by goalkeeper
David de Gea.
Everton continued their
solid form, following their 1-0
win over United on Monday,
by beating Aston Villa 3-1 for
the first time in seven years at
Villa Park.
Norwich City and QPR
played out a 1-1 draw at Carrow
Road with Simeon Jackson and

Bobby Zamora trading first half
blows, whilst Wigan Athletic
denied Southampton a positive
home return to top flight football
by winning 2-0 at St Mary’s
courtesy of goals from Franco
di Santo and Arouna Kone.
Tottenham were thwarted
at the death by West Bromwith
Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s 74thminute opener cancelled out by
James Morrison’s injury-time
finish whilst fellow Londoners
Chelsea made it three from
three with a 2-0 victory at home

Photo: AFP

against Newcastle United.
Reigning champions Manchester City twice came from
behind in a 2-2 draw away to
Liverpool that denied Brendan Rodgers his first Premier
League win as Reds manager.
Earlier on Sunday, Arsenal
failed to score for the second
league match in a row following the departure of Robin van
Persie to Manchester United,
as they were held to a goalless
draw away to Stoke.
In the Phuket News Premier

Schumacher to join exclusive 300 club
FORMULA 1
Agence France-Presse

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
said he is hoping to celebrate
his 300th Grand Prix in style
this weekend with a strong
performance for Mercedes at
the Belgian Grand Prix.
Despite some strong drives
this season, including a podium finish at the European
Grand Prix, his first since
rejoining the sport in 2010,
the 43-year-old German has
endured a tough start to the
season, retiring from six of
the first 10 races.

Schumacher will be the second driver to reach 300 races.
However, the seven-times
champion is convinced a combination of his knowledge of
the high-speed Spa Francorchamps track and improvements to his car will help

him secure a good result next
weekend.
“Spa is like my living
room; for me, it’s clearly the
number one race track in the
world,” said Schumacher,

who will become the second
driver in history, after Rubens
Barrichello, to compete in 300
grands prix.
“It’s uncanny how I always
seem to have special moments
there – my debut, my first win,
a world championship victory
and many great races.
“The fact that I will also
take part in my 300th grand prix
at Spa was somehow almost
inevitable and we will have to
celebrate it in the right way.
“I’m proud to be just the
second driver in the history
of the sport to reach this milestone and there’s no question
that we are looking to have a
particularly nice weekend.”

League Predictions, ‘AuPaddy’
and ‘tim at acorn’ lead the
pack after the second round
of tipping, but they don’t have
a lot of breathing space with
five tippers just three points
behind.
The winner of this month’s
competition will win a B3,000

voucher to spend at Angus O’Tools in Karon. The
overall winner at the end of
the year will a brand new
Honda Scoopy i courtesy
of AP Honda.
To get involved in Premier League Predictions,
visit thephuketnews.com.

Asian ‘major’ within 5 years
GOLF
Agence France-Presse

THE ASIAN TOUR IS IN
talks to set up an “iconic” golf
event to rival the majors as
early as 2015, its new chief
executive has revealed.
Mike Kerr, who took
up his post in March, made
the statement as he laid out
an ambitious vision which
sees the circuit expanding
to match the current size of
the European Tour in the
next 10 years.
“Yes, I think we can have
an iconic event in Asia. There
are some plans that we have

that we’re already in the
market talking about,” he
said at the Asian Tour offices
in Singapore.
“We’re working on it...
let’s say definitely within the
next three to five (years).”
The so-called “fifth
major” is considered the
next frontier of Asian golf
after years of rapid growth
brought new, world-class
tournaments and pumped up
prize money and standards.
Kerr predicted the Asian
Tour would be offering similar total prize money to the
European Tour in a decade,
rising from 26 to about 40
tournaments a year.

Over 90 Cities,
One Perfect Gateway.
SilkAir and Singapore Airlines
Connecting you to Places.

thephuketnews.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

THE PHUKET NEWS

WORLD SPORT 27

Wallabies coach Deans on borrowed time
RUGBY
Agence France-Presse

T

he clock is ticking for
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans, who has
four Tests to turn around their
fortunes or face the sack, Australian media said this week.
Deans is under increasing
pressure after Australia’s 22-0
hammering by the All Blacks in
Auckland on Saturday (August
25), extending their miserable

Coach Robbie Deans.

English Premier League
Team

Union will continue backing
Robbie Deans, but patience is
wearing thin,” said their chief
rugby correspondent Greg
Growden.
“Don’t start thinking the
ARU will dump Deans this
week, or even next, despite
his atrocious record against
the All Blacks.
“But if the rot continues in
the final four matches of the
Rugby Championship against
South Africa and Argentina,
Deans’s five-year reign in

French Ligue 1

Championships could spell
the end.”
Deans was forced to deflect
questions about his job after the
Auckland setback, and chose
to praise his opponents.
“They’re a side that’s playing with the confidence of being
world champions and I don’t
think there’s any side in the
world that would have footed
it with them,” he said.
But he admitted the latest
blow would do nothing to
silence his critics.

Spanish Primera Liga

D

L

F

A

Pts

D

L

F

A

Pts

D

L

F

A

Pts

Chelsea

3

3

0

0

8

2

9

1

Marseille

3

3

0

0

4

0

9

1

Barcelona

2

2

0

0

7

2

6

2

Swansea City

2

2

0

0

8

0

6

2

Olympique Lyonnais

3

2

1

0

6

2

7

2

Real Valladolid

2

2

0

0

3

0

6

3

Everton

2

2

0

0

4

1

6

3

Valenciennes

3

2

1

0

4

0

7

3

Rayo Vallecano

2

2

0

0

3

1

6

4

West Bromwich

2

1

1

0

4

1

4

4

Bordeaux

3

2

1

0

4

2

7

4

Mallorca

2

1

1

0

3

2

4

5

Manchester City

2

1

1

0

5

4

4

5

Toulouse

3

2

1

0

4

2

7

5

Málaga

2

1

1

0

2

1

4

6

Fulham

2

1

0

1

7

3

3

6

Bastia

3

2

0

1

7

6

6

6

Atlético Madrid

2

1

1

0

5

1

4

7

Manchester United

2

1

0

1

3

3

3

7

Lorient

3

1

2

0

6

5

5

7

Deportivo

2

1

1

0

5

3

4

8

Wigan Athletic

2

1

0

1

2

2

3

8

Lille

3

1

2

0

5

4

5

8

Sevilla

2

1

1

0

3

2

4

9

Newcastle United

2

1

0

1

2

3

3

9

Nancy

3

1

1

1

2

2

4

9

Real Betis

2

1

0

1

6

5

3

10

West Ham United

2

1

0

1

1

3

3

10

Saint-Étienne

3

1

0

2

6

4

3

10

Getafe

2

1

0

1

3

3

3

11

Stoke City

2

0

2

0

1

1

2

11

PSG

3

0

3

0

2

2

3

11

Real Zaragoza

2

1

0

1

2

2

3

12

Arsenal

2

0

2

0

0

0

2

12

Rennes

3

1

0

2

3

4

3

12

Real Sociedad

2

1

0

1

3

6

3

13

Sunderland

1

0

1

0

0

0

1

13

Reims

3

1

0

2

2

3

3

13

Valencia

2

0

2

0

4

4

2

14

Tottenham Hotspur

2

0

1

1

2

3

1

14

Brest

3

1

0

2

1

5

3

14

Real Madrid

2

0

1

1

2

3

1

15

Reading

2

0

1

1

3

5

1

15

Nice

3

0

2

1

2

3

2

15

Granada

2

0

1

1

1

2

1

16

Liverpool

2

0

1

1

2

5

1

16

Ajaccio

3

1

1

1

1

3

2

16

Levante

2

0

1

1

1

3

1

17

Norwich City

2

0

1

1

1

6

1

17

Evian TG

3

0

1

2

3

5

1

17

Espanyol

2

0

0

2

2

4

0

18

QPR

2

0

1

1

1

6

1

18

Montpellier

3

0

1

2

2

4

1

18

Celta de Vigo

2

0

0

2

1

3

0

19

Southampton

2

0

0

2

2

5

0

19

Troyes

3

0

1

2

3

7

1

19

Osasuna

2

0

0

2

1

4

0

20

Aston Villa

2

0

0

2

1

4

0

20

Sochaux

3

0

0

3

2

6

0

20

Athletic Club

2

0

0

2

3

9

0

3-0
1-3
3-2
1-1
0-2

West Ham United
Everton
Fulham
QPR
Wigan Athletic

Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea
Stoke City
Liverpool

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Team

charge of the Wallabies will
end.
“Ewen McKenzie is the
man who should take over.”
The Australian newspaper
took a similar line saying: “Dday for Deans edging closer.”
“Wallabies coach Robbie
Deans has four Tests to save
his job,” it said.
The Sydney Daily Telegraph issued a similar warning, saying that “high-level
discontent is bubbling ... and
more defeats in the Rugby

1

RESULTS
Swansea City
Aston Villa
Manchester United
Norwich City
Southampton

MP W

record against New Zealand to
14 defeats in 17 starts.
It was the first time in 50
years the Wallabies have not
scored a point against their
trans-Tasman rivals dating back
to a 3-0 defeat in Dunedin in
1962, and followed their 27-29
loss in Sydney the previous
weekend.
“Deans rapidly running
out of time after latest Kiwi
debacle,” wrote the Sydney
Morning Herald.
“The Australian Rugby

Frenchman all set to
tackle the Mekong
on his standup
paddle board > 24

Dane Halpin editor2@thephuketnews.com

Time
to go
Strauss steps down
as England appoint
Captain Cook
Andrew Strauss career stats

Photo: AFP

CRICKET
Agence France-Presse

E

ngland Test captain
Andrew Strauss said
his “race was run” as he
announced his retirement from
all professional cricket with immediate effect on Wednesday
night.
And he insisted his decision
to quit had nothing to do with
the fall-out from the ongoing
England exile of star batsman
Kevin Pietersen.
“After much thought over
the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England
Test captain and announce my
retirement from all forms of
cricket,” Strauss said in an England and Wales Cricket Board
(ECB) statement issued ahead
of a news conference at Lord’s.
“It has clearly been a tough
decision to make, but I believe
that it is both in the best interests
of the England cricket team

thephuketnews.com

and myself to step down at this
stage,” the 35-year-old, who
played exactly 100 Tests, added.
“The driver to all this is I
haven’t batted well enough for
a long time,” Strauss later told
the news conference. “I wasn’t
going to improve batting-wise,
I’ve run my race.
“It’s one of these decisions
when you know when your
time is up.”
Strauss has enjoyed modest
returns with the bat in recent
years and his 122 against the
West Indies in May was his
first Test century since 2010.
He followed up with another
century, at Trent Bridge, but averaged just 17.83 in six innings
against the South Africans.
Alastair Cook, already England’s one-day captain and
Strauss’s opening partner in the
five-day game, was announced
as the new skipper of the Test
team. Cook insisted he had no
idea his Test match opening
partner was considering not
just giving up the captaincy

M

I

N/O

Runs

HS

Av

SR

100

50

Catches

Tests:

100

178

6

7,037

177

40.91

48.91

21

27

121

ODIs:

127

126

8

4,205

158

35.63

80.94

6

27

57

T20s:

4

4

0

73

33

18.25

114.06

0

0

1

but quitting all cricket, until
told on Tuesday of his fellow
left-hander’s decision.
Asked if his elevation to
the job he’d long been tipped
to inherit had come earlier than
expected, Cook, who replaced
Strauss as England’s one-day
captain following the latter’s
one-day retirement last year,
replied: “Yes I think it has. It’s
been a bit of a strange 24 hours
for me personally.”
England dropped Pietersen,
who hasn’t played international
cricket in any format since making 149 in the drawn second Test
at Headingley, after he admitted
sending “provocative” texts to
South African players.
Some of these were alleged
to have been critical of Strauss,
who succeeded South Africaborn and raised Pietersen as
England captain in 2009.
But Strauss said he’d spoken to England coach Andy
Flower about retiring “before
the Kevin Pietersen situation
reared its head”.

Strauss’ last Test was a
51-run defeat by South Africa
at Lord’s, his Middlesex home
ground where he made his Test
debut in 2004, earlier this month
that saw England surrender
their number one Test ranking
to the Proteas.
Strauss scored 21 hundreds
– one shy of England’s all-time
record – and led England to the
top of the world Test rankings,
a run that included home and
away Ashes wins in 2009 and
2010/11.
Cook’s first Test as captain
will be the first of a four-match
series in India in November.
The 27-year-old, who replaced Strauss as one-day captain after last year’s World Cup,
paid tribute by saying: “He has
been a fantastic captain, has
led from the front for threeand-a-half years and is a true
ambassador for the game.
“I know this can’t have
been an easy decision for him
and everyone in the dressing
room will be sad to see him go.

“I’m very excited by this new
challenge, it is a huge honour
to be appointed Test captain.”
Meanwhile England managing director Hugh Morris said
he would meet with Pietersen
and Flower in the coming weeks
in a bid to discover the precise
content of the text messages.
He was more forthcoming
in praising Strauss who, after
taking over as Test captain
from Pietersen following his
public rift with former coach
Peter Moores in 2009, steered
England through one of their
most successful periods.
“He has been a great servant
for Middlesex and England and
an outstanding ambassador for
the game, not just in England but
across the world,” Morris said.
England’s form in 2012 has
been poor, with six defeats in
11 Tests culminating in a 2-0
series loss to South Africa, their
first home reverse in four years.
As a player, Strauss scored
a century on Test debut, against
New Zealand at Lord’s in 2004

and in all scored 7,037 Test runs
at an average of 40.91 and took
an England outfield record 121
catches, mainly in the slips.
His 50 Tests as captain
produced 24 wins, making
him England’s second most
successful Test skipper behind
Michael Vaughan.
“For me, personally lifting
the (Ashes) urn in Australia was
the highlight and it was always
going to take a huge amount to
beat that,” said Strauss.
“I go out with absolutely
no regrets, I’ve had such an
amazing career. I’ve achieved
far more than I ever thought I
was going to and that makes
me feel very proud and very
honoured to have represented
England.”
Asked how he’d liked to
be remembered, Strauss, after
saying he “hated” the question,
replied: “That I played the game
in the right way, adhered to
my principles and if people
remember me for that I’ll be
very happy.”